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Nothing more to add to Manmohan’s remark: party

Anita Joshua

NEW DELHI: Uncertain about the political fall-out of the India-Pakistan statement “de-linking” action on terror from the composite dialogue, the Congress on Monday continued with its studied silence on the issue.

In its first official interface with the media after the statement was inked in Egypt last Thursday, the Congress maintained that it had nothing to add to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s intervention in Parliament, where he clarified India’s position.

“Dilution”

Faced with questions on whether the party endorsed the statement — billed by the Opposition as a dilution of the government’s resolve after the Mumbai terror attack — Congress spokesman Abhishek Singhvi said, “Once the government has given a statement and the Prime Minister has spoken about it twice, where is the question of it (the statement) needing any endorsement?”

Given the criticism that Dr. Singh has drawn from certain political quarters, Mr. Singhvi was asked whether the Congress would like to say anything in his defence. He shot back saying there was no need for it.

Pakistan’s admission

Instead, the Congress sought to draw attention once again to the fact that, for the first time ever, Pakistan had admitted the involvement of its nationals and use of its territory in planning and launching a terrorist attacks on India.

“This is because of the pressure mounted by the Government of India,” Mr. Singhvi said.

With Assembly elections in Maharashtra round the corner, the Congress is walking on egg-shells, uncertain of how the perceived change in India’s position will be absorbed by the people.

Some leaders sought shelter in semantics, insisting that the fault lay in the poor drafting of the joint statement. There is, however, concern within the party about the mention of Balochistan in the statement.

Dossier is “a great step”

Describing the furore over the statement as a temporary storm in the tea-cup, one Congress leader argued that Pakistan’s dossier on its investigations into the Mumbai attacks was a great step.

“In writing, they have admitted culpability for all time to come. Having forced Pakistan to travel this far, India needed to yield an inch, but this does not compel us to talk if there is another terror strike,” said another leader, by way of a defence of the Prime Minister’s move.

Other leaders said the statement was more or less in line with the Congress strategy against terrorism, articulated in the party’s election manifesto.

“Terrorism must be fought relentlessly, intelligently and wisely,” the manifesto had stated, in response to the Bharatiya Janata Party’s advocacy of a “muscular” foreign policy.

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