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| Yashwant Sinha |
Chennai: “Tamil Eelam is not far away”, declared BJP senior Yashwant Sinha at a well-attended party meeting held at a marriage hall in the city on Wednesday. Admitting that the BJP during its NDA rule had advocated political settlement for the Tamils within a united Lanka, the former foreign minister insisted that the position now was different.
Arguing that Eelam is a distinct possibility, Sinha said, “Bangladesh would not have been an independent country now; north and south Sudan would not have been independent countries today”.
He also picked up another prospective poll issue by demanding that the Centre reopen the agreement by which India had ceded Katchatheevu to Sri Lanka and “redraw the fishing lines” to ensure the fishing rights of Indian fishermen and stop their getting killed at the hands of the Lankan Navy. “If Katchatheevu is brought back to our side, our fishermen will not be affected. It will then be Indian waters controlled by us”.
After Prime Minister Manmohan Singh rebuffed Yashwant Sinha’s demand for his appearance before JPC on 2G, the BJP leader on Wednesday said failure to do so would send a “loud and clear” signal that he has something to hide. “If the PM says his conscience is clear, he should offer to appear before JPC,” Sinha said. . Sinha asserted that JPC is the only committee before which a minister or the PM can appear. He accused JPC Chairman P.C. Chako of behaving in a “partisan manner” and trying to “scuttle” former telecom minister A Raja’s appearance before it. “No truth will come out if the Prime Minister and Finance Minister do not appear before the JPC,” insisted Sinha, himself a JPC member.
“India should say it will no more tolerate the killing of our fishermen. If you are a weak government, everyone will take advantage. The present foreign policy is disturbing. The country’s prestige, clout and future are at stake. The UPA government and the Prime Minister may be weak, but the people of India are not weak. They will ensure the return of the NDA once again”, said Sinha, setting out the poll strategy for his party campaigners in the coming critical months.
“Go from mandal to mandal, house to house and tell the people how Sonia Gandhi and Manmohan Singh have been responsible for the genocide in the immediate neighbourhood of north Lanka”, he told the audience, who included party state president Pon. Radhakrishnan, national committee member L Ganesan and national secretary Dr Tamizhisai Sounderarajan.
After Prime Minister Manmohan Singh rebuffed Yashwant Sinha’s demand for his appearance before JPC on 2G, the BJP leader on Wednesday said failure to do so would send a “loud and clear” signal that he has something to hide. “If the Prime Minister says his conscience is clear, he should offer to appear before JPC,” Sinha said.
Sinha asserted that JPC is the only committee before which a minister or the Prime Minister can appear. He accused JPC Chairman P C Chako of behaving in a “partisan manner” and trying to “scuttle” former telecom minister A Raja’s appearance before it. “No truth will come out if the Prime Minister and Finance Minister do not appear before the JPC,” insisted Sinha, himself a JPC member.
DC