The Hindu : National : Jaswant backs Advani

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Jun 09, 2005

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National

Jaswant backs Advani

"What he said is a historical fact"

TEL AVIV: Rallying behind L. K. Advani, Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, Jaswant Singh said on Wednesday that he failed to understand why certain sections were irked by the leader's comments regarding the secular credentials of Mohammad Ali Jinnah, made during his visit to Pakistan.

"What he said is a historical fact. The creation of Pakistan and the address to the Constituent Assembly by the late Qaid-e-Azam cited by Advaniji are established facts of history," Mr. Singh said.

`Commands respect'

"Advaniji continues to command the confidence of the party throughout the country and the respect of the people of India for his dedicated 50 years of service to the nation," he said.

Mr. Singh said that he had been persuading Mr. Advani to retract his resignation. "I have conveyed exactly the same to some of the other office-bearers of the party over the phone, including Venkaiah Naidu."

Mr. Singh said that he had also offered to return to India cancelling his engagements in the U.S., London and Israel but was told by the former Prime Minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, and Mr. Advani to go ahead with them.

Mr. Singh is the chief guest at the India-Israel Partnership conference being organised by the Tel Aviv University.

He had visited the region as Foreign Minister in 1998 and pledged to strengthen strategic ties with the Jewish State. — PTI

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