The Hindu : New Delhi News : No comments on Kandahar, says BJP spokesperson

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Tuesday, May 13, 2008
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No comments on Kandahar, says BJP spokesperson

Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI: The Bharatiya Janata Party on Monday distanced itself from the Kandahar controversy.

The row began after senior leader L.K. Advani said in an interview that he was not aware of any decision taken by the Vajpayee-led government on Jaswant Singh (then External Affairs Minister) accompanying three terrorists to Kandahar where they were to be released to the Taliban in exchange for safety of passengers of the hijacked Indian Airlines flight 814.

“I have no comment to make,” said party spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad when asked about the reported comments of party leaders Yashwant Sinha and Jaswant Singh that the decision on Kandahar was taken at a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) that would have been attended by Mr. Advani.

Soon after Mr. Advani claimed he was not consulted and did not know about the decision, although he was the Home Minister in December 1999 when the hijack took place, the former Defence Minister, George Fernandes, contradicted him.

Two days ago, Mr. Jaswant Singh said Mr. Advani may have “forgotten” or may have been absent from the CCS meeting. A similar comment was reportedly made by Mr. Sinha.

Just a few days ago, the BJP stated that if the Congress were to rake up the Kandahar issue to show that the BJP was, after all, not so tough on terrorists, the party would bring up issues related to “training and support to the Tamil Tigers and the encouragement given to Khalistan extremist Bhindranwale by the Congress.”

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