BJP terms PM's stand on Quattrocchi as absurd

New Delhi, May 3(PTI) Bharatiya Janata Party Sunday
termed the stand taken by Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh
on Italian businessman Ottavio Quattrocchi issue as "absurd".

"BJP deplores the absurd logic of the PM that India
would have been looked down by the world community if the red
corner notice against Quattrocchi was not removed," party
spokesperson Prakash Javadekar told reporters.

PM had said the Quattrocchi case has been an
"embarrassment" for the Indian government as it has failed to
get him extradited from Malaysia and Argentina where courts
have said "we don't have a strong case" against him.

Attacking PM for justifying the withdrawal of
Quattrocchi's name from the red corner list, Javadekar said
"This is a futile attempt to defend the indefensible act of
the CBI (Central Bureau of Investigation). This also proves
that withdrawal of red corner notice against Quattrocchi is
not a CBI decision but a political decision of the UPA
government."

Comparing it with the Afzal case, Javadekar said PM
should explain why then world community will not look down
when it does not carry out the hanging of Parliament attacker
Mohd Afzal Guru, who is condemned by the Supreme Court?"

Coining a new slogan "Congress ka hath Quattorcchi aur
Afzal ke saath", the spokesperson said, "UPA wants to save
Afzal for vote bank politics and Quattrocchi for his
connection with the first family of Congress."

BJP also expressed deep concern over the report of
killings and fleeing of Hindus and Sikhs from Swat valley in
Pakistan by the Taliban.

We demand that government should take proactive steps
to save people of Indian origin living in Pakistan, Javadekar
said.

Blaiming the government for failing to protect the people
of Indian origin in Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Bangladesh and
elsewhere, he said the efforts by the government so far have
been technical only and have not yielded any tangible results.
PTI ARU