EW DELHI - The Congress party on Thursday asked senior BJP leader
L.K.Advani to tender an unconditional apology to the people of the
country for misleading them on the Kandahar hijack episode.
Congress party spokesman Abhishek Manu Singhvi told a private
television channel: ” He (Advani) must tender an unconditional apology.
He has played with the sentiments of the people of India.”
When asked what is the next step that Advani and the BJP should consider, he said: “It should start with resignations.”
When asked whether Advani or the BJP should hold a press conference
on the issue, he said: ” It is their internal headache.”
Singhvi’s reaction was in response to former National Security
Adviser Brajesh Mishra saying that Advani was aware of all the key
decisions taken with regard to the 1999-2000 hijacking of an Indian
Airlines plane to Kandahar, Afghanistan.
Mishra rebutted Advani’s contention that he was unaware about IC-814
being taken from Amritsar to Kandahar by terrorists. He also rejected
the view that Advani did not know that a Cabinet Minister would be
flying to Kandahar to secure the release of the hostages in exchange
for the three most wanted terrorists.
“L.K. Advani knew all about the IC-814 hijacking. Advani agreed to
send the plane to Kandahar to free the hostages. The terrorists had
threatened to kill all the 160 passengers onboard. Advani knew that
Jaswant (Singh) was on the plane with the terrorists. It was one of the
most difficult decisions we took,” said Mishra.
Mishra’s views on the Kandahar hijacking comes days after former
External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh embarrassed Advani by saying
that he (Jaswant Singh) “covered” up for him (Advani) when he said that
the former Home Minister was not aware that he was going to Kandahar
with three terrorists in 1999.
He also said Advani was aware of the decision to release of the
terrorists in exchange for freedom of over 160 hostages kept in the
Indian Airlines plane that was hijacked.
“Yes, he did,” Singh told the NDTV news channel last Friday when
asked whether Advani knew that Singh was going to Kandahar with three
terrorists.
It maybe recalled that Advani had claimed a few years ago that he
did not know that Jaswant Singh was on the plane with the three dreaded
terrorists to Kandahar.
Singh was asked why he said during the election campaign that Advani
did not know that he was going to Kandahar with the terrorists and
whether he covered up for Advani.
“I”m sorry I did. I tried to cover it. I treated it as part of my continuing sense of commitment and loyalty,” he said.
Asked whether he regretted covering up for Advani, Singh told NDTV:
“I don”t regret because that is the step I had taken. But it was part
of an election campaign. How should I put it? I was being very
conservative with truth.”
He said Advani could not have not known about the decision to fly to Kandahar.
“I announced it in the Cabinet. Yes, Advani was there, how can they
(terrorists) be released from prison without the Home Minister
consenting and signing pieces of paper? he asked.
Singh said he felt very hurt when Advani said what he did and he went.
“I went and told him. I was really hurt. Look I have travelled this
route to Pakistan in every possible fashion, the Lahore bus, to
Kandahar, to Agra, Chhatisinghpura, Parliament attack. But I have never
tried to transfer responsibility. I have never spoken, it was very
hurtful,” he said.
Singh also made a veiled criticism of Advani when he asked why the
aircraft was allowed to leave Amritsar because once it left the “game
was lost”.
“Who would be responsible for the aircraft leaving Amritsar. For 45
minutes the aircraft was on ground at Amritsar. All of you are fixated
on Kandahar. I didn”t go to Kandahar because there was a good night
club there. I went there because 166 lives were involved and the
officers there asked me to consult if a decision was to be made,” he
said.
He even asked Advani what the latter wanted him to say.
“He said you say whatever you want to,” Singh said.
Asked whether he would have expected Advani to stand up for him,
Singh said “He (Advani) was not required to cover any misdeed. My going
to Kandahar was not a misdeed. And I was not going on a holiday jaunt.
166 lives were involved.”
He said it was a sense of commitment to India that required to save whatever another colleague has done.
“You know what the comment means. I didn”t know. It”s a comment not
on Jaswant Singh. It”s a comment on Atalji because there is a sense of
collective responsibility of the Cabinet. We forgot ssentials.” (ANI)
1 comments:
To read a different view point on this very important issue, please follow this link:-
http://rationalopinion.blogspot.com/2009/08/was-advani-aware-of-decision-to-release.html
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