BJP welcomes PM statement on Pak
Senior BJP leader and leader of the opposition in the Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj welcomed Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's statement that there could not be “business as usual” with the neighbouring country in the light of the incident.
The government and the main opposition party on Tuesday adopted a united stand on the recent killings of two Indian soldiers by Pakistan troops along the LoC. Senior BJP leader and leader of the opposition in the Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj welcomed Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's statement that there could not be “business as usual” with the neighbouring country in the light of the incident.
Swaraj, however, said the tough response had come rather late, and saw it as a response to the BJP's attempts to highlight the national anger. “The Prime Minister's tough statement was good. He responded late, but it is good that such a statement has finally come, reflecting the opposition's concern and the national mood,” Swaraj said at the inauguration of a website dedicated to former Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee.
However, after briefly praising Singh, Swaraj went on attack mode again. “Atalji never cited coalition compulsions like Manmohan Singh does. This is because he was not just a PM but also a leader. Manmohan Singh is PM, but not a leader.”
Meanwhile, National Security Adviser Shivshankar Menon on Tuesday briefed Swaraj and BJP leader Arun Jaitley on the situation. PTI reported Menon as urging BJP leaders to exercise caution in their statements, like Swaraj’s call for “10 Pakistani heads”, and party president Nitin Gadkari calling for India to move the UN on the issue.
A BJP leader, on condition of anonymity, said that government reservations over possible internationalisation of the Kashmir issue was brought up by Menon.
BSP chief Mayawati, meanwhile, cautioned against taking hurried decisions and said that war wasn't a preferable option.