ID :
55273
Tue, 04/14/2009 - 05:47
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://www.oananews.org//node/55273
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PM, Rahul hit back at Advani
Mumbai, Apr 13 (PTI) Indian Prime Minister Manmohan
Singh Monday hit out at main opposition BJP's prime
ministerial candidate L K Advani saying the BJP's "Iron Man"
had "melted" during the Kandahar hijack and was "weeping in a
corner" when Babri Masjid was destroyed by hoodlums.
Accusing his rival for the prime ministerial post of
indulging in "empty rhetoric", Singh said that Advani was
"wringing" his hands while one of his chief ministers
condoned the "pogrom targeted at minorities", a clear
reference to the Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi during
the 2001 riots.
Singh and Advani have traded verbal barbs in recent
days but Monday's attack by the Prime Minister at a press
conference here was his sharpest. In fact, the attack was
contained in a written statement distributed to journalists.
Even as Singh fired his salvos, Congress General
Secretary Rahul Gandhi also targeted Advani from Kochi where
he questioned his credentials as a strong leader saying that
he was the country's Home Minister when terrorists were
released in Kandahar after an Indian Airlines flight had been
hijacked from Kathmandu in 1999.
Referring to Advani's claim that he did not not know
about the release of the terrorists who were escorted to
Kandahar by the then External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh,
Rahul said "there are two possibilities--either he is not not
telling the truth or his senior leader the Prime Minister
(Atal Bihari Vajpayee) did not not trust him".
From Shillong, Congress President Sonia Gandhi
Monday slammed Advani for the attack on Parliament during the
tenure of the NDA government.
"When Advaniji was the deputy prime minister and
home minister, a terrorist who was captured and kept in jail
here was released and escorted as a guest to Afghanistan.
"The terrorist then went to Pakistan and planned
attacks against India, including the attack on our
Parliament," she told an election rally here.
"Can you trust such a person (Advani)?" Gandhi
questioned, lambasting the BJP leader for attacking Manmohan
Singh as a one incapable of facing challenges.
"Our Prime Minister, in the face of the Mumbai
attacks, did not make a big noise, nor shouted, nor screamed.
Through diplomatic pressure, he was able to get Pakistan to
agree that the terrorists were citizens of that country. This
has never happened before," she said.
At his press conference, Singh said Advani liked to
call him a weak Prime Minister. "I cannot help pointing out
that when held to the fire during the Kandahar hijacking, the
BJP's 'Iron Man' was quick to melt.
"He agreed to release the terrorists and subjected his
Cabinet colleague Shri Jaswant Singh to the humiliation of
having to personally escort the terrorists to their safe
haven."
Singh said when there was a terrorist attack on
Parliament in the NDA period the country saw another round of
"empty rhetoric". The government was unable to get even an
acknowledgement, let alone an apology or corrective action
from Pakistan.
He recalled that when terrorists attacked Mumbai in
November and held a large number of people hostage, the
government did not not send its foreign minister to negotiate
with them and concede their demands. It sent highly trained
commands that killed nine of them and captured one alive.
The Prime Minister said throughout his life he had
believed that substance triumphed over style, performance over
public relations and hard work over short-cuts.
"I am not not a sloganeer.I will readily concede that
most of my opponents make more rousing speeches.They may have
more catchy phrases and may run better marketing campaigns.
"But unlike the NDA's prime ministerial candidate, I
will not not be found weeping in a corner while hoodlums tear
down a centuries-old mosque.
"Nor will I be found wringing my hands in frustration
while one of my chief ministers condones a pogrom targeted at
minorities.
"And I will certainly not not say things in Pakistan
that offend every Indian and then abandon my stand when it
becomes politically inconvenient within my party. Mr Advani
has the unique ability to combine strength in speech with
weakness in action. This is not not the kind of strength we
need." PTI VT
Singh Monday hit out at main opposition BJP's prime
ministerial candidate L K Advani saying the BJP's "Iron Man"
had "melted" during the Kandahar hijack and was "weeping in a
corner" when Babri Masjid was destroyed by hoodlums.
Accusing his rival for the prime ministerial post of
indulging in "empty rhetoric", Singh said that Advani was
"wringing" his hands while one of his chief ministers
condoned the "pogrom targeted at minorities", a clear
reference to the Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi during
the 2001 riots.
Singh and Advani have traded verbal barbs in recent
days but Monday's attack by the Prime Minister at a press
conference here was his sharpest. In fact, the attack was
contained in a written statement distributed to journalists.
Even as Singh fired his salvos, Congress General
Secretary Rahul Gandhi also targeted Advani from Kochi where
he questioned his credentials as a strong leader saying that
he was the country's Home Minister when terrorists were
released in Kandahar after an Indian Airlines flight had been
hijacked from Kathmandu in 1999.
Referring to Advani's claim that he did not not know
about the release of the terrorists who were escorted to
Kandahar by the then External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh,
Rahul said "there are two possibilities--either he is not not
telling the truth or his senior leader the Prime Minister
(Atal Bihari Vajpayee) did not not trust him".
From Shillong, Congress President Sonia Gandhi
Monday slammed Advani for the attack on Parliament during the
tenure of the NDA government.
"When Advaniji was the deputy prime minister and
home minister, a terrorist who was captured and kept in jail
here was released and escorted as a guest to Afghanistan.
"The terrorist then went to Pakistan and planned
attacks against India, including the attack on our
Parliament," she told an election rally here.
"Can you trust such a person (Advani)?" Gandhi
questioned, lambasting the BJP leader for attacking Manmohan
Singh as a one incapable of facing challenges.
"Our Prime Minister, in the face of the Mumbai
attacks, did not make a big noise, nor shouted, nor screamed.
Through diplomatic pressure, he was able to get Pakistan to
agree that the terrorists were citizens of that country. This
has never happened before," she said.
At his press conference, Singh said Advani liked to
call him a weak Prime Minister. "I cannot help pointing out
that when held to the fire during the Kandahar hijacking, the
BJP's 'Iron Man' was quick to melt.
"He agreed to release the terrorists and subjected his
Cabinet colleague Shri Jaswant Singh to the humiliation of
having to personally escort the terrorists to their safe
haven."
Singh said when there was a terrorist attack on
Parliament in the NDA period the country saw another round of
"empty rhetoric". The government was unable to get even an
acknowledgement, let alone an apology or corrective action
from Pakistan.
He recalled that when terrorists attacked Mumbai in
November and held a large number of people hostage, the
government did not not send its foreign minister to negotiate
with them and concede their demands. It sent highly trained
commands that killed nine of them and captured one alive.
The Prime Minister said throughout his life he had
believed that substance triumphed over style, performance over
public relations and hard work over short-cuts.
"I am not not a sloganeer.I will readily concede that
most of my opponents make more rousing speeches.They may have
more catchy phrases and may run better marketing campaigns.
"But unlike the NDA's prime ministerial candidate, I
will not not be found weeping in a corner while hoodlums tear
down a centuries-old mosque.
"Nor will I be found wringing my hands in frustration
while one of my chief ministers condones a pogrom targeted at
minorities.
"And I will certainly not not say things in Pakistan
that offend every Indian and then abandon my stand when it
becomes politically inconvenient within my party. Mr Advani
has the unique ability to combine strength in speech with
weakness in action. This is not not the kind of strength we
need." PTI VT
