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In service of the Congress
Jaswant Singh?s book raises more questions than it gives answers and is bound to generate fresh controversy on a number of issues, writes Pankaj Vohra.
Jaswant Singh’s recent book, A Call to Honour -- In Service of Emergent India, on contemporary politics and history is a feeble attempt to project the so-called achievements of the BJP-led NDA regime in general and his own contribution in particular.
The book raises more questions than it gives answers and is bound to generate fresh controversy on a number of issues, especially the Kandahar hijacking, the Kargil intrusion, the Pokhran nuclear tests and the Agra summit.
The debates may also figure in the the monsoon session of Parliament beginning on Monday, when the Congress and other groups opposed to the BJP may put it and its allies in the dock over their role in a number of things referred to by the former Foreign Minister. Singh’s opponents within his own party may also use them to demand his removal as the Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha.
The most likely questions to be asked are why did Singh conceal information that he claims he had about a mole in PV Narasimha Rao’s PMO for 10 long years, and why should he not be prosecuted for allowing a spy to wage a war against our country, knowing fully well that leaks on vital information regarding our nuclear, missiles, electronic and other programmes would be detrimental to national security. While it is for the intelligence agencies and the present government to examine his role, it could also be possible that the former minister has spoken about a non-existent mole to deflect similar insinuations made against him and some of his colleagues, a reference to which has been made in the book.
But assuming that Singh is telling the truth, he will still have to explain why he kept the lid on this information all these years and why, when he was the foreign minister and in a capacity to deal with it, did he look the other way. Was it because of his party’s proximity to Rao, who, according to him, had told Atal Bihari Vajpayee to go ahead with the nuclear tests since he had been unable to carry them out? Or was it that he wanted to use this mole to help him gain access to the right quarters in the US? And, since there was no need of cultivating this mole anymore, he had chosen to speak out about him.
Going strictly by law, Singh could have a criminal case of a very serious nature registered against him. Since this is unlikely to happen, as politicians enjoy a certain kind of immunity, he can certainly be reprimanded by his party and fellow MPs for an unforgivable act. The mention of the mole has been made in the manner of reproducing a letter written to a US Senator by an unnamed person, which Singh had got hold of while he was the deputy leader of the BJP in Lok Sabha in 1995.
Since the allegations could be true, our intelligence agencies must investigate the claim, initiate action against the said culprit and reveal his identity to the nation. One is sure that Singh will fully cooperate in ascertaining the truth. He, as also everyone with the slightest information on matters infringing national security, must speak out. This is the least we can do as citizens of this country.
The second controversial point is whether Singh, who had accompanied terrorists to Kandahar to secure the release of hostages from the hijacked Indian Airlines aircraft, also paid ransom money. Though he has subsequently denied it, the government must investigate this and clear the air.
It has been alleged in the past that the terrorists were taken to Kandahar at the doorstep of the Taliban to secure the release of world currency king Roberto Giori, who was on the aircraft with his companion and another influential Western functionary. Giori is an Italian-Swiss national and Singh’s book records his presence on the aircraft while referring to the return journey of the hijacked passengers. Singh writes, “And then that Swiss gentleman of dignity and reserve. I knew he worked for the international community of finance. He would be returning safely to his country along with his girlfriend.”
Since Singh has also mentioned the names of senior officials of the Foreign Ministry, Intelligence Bureau and the R&AW who had influenced his decision to go to Kandahar, it would not be difficult to find out whether any money was paid. The government must clarify this matter without further delay in national interest. At least one colleague of Singh had at one time expressed fears about this. Even LK Advani, who was Home Minister then, had recently tried to distance himself from the decision to go to Kandahar but was forced to clarify the matter after Vajpayee took strong exceptions to remarks attributed to him during the suraksha yatra.
The book, without any reference, also supports what then Army Chief VP Malik has written in his own memoirs about Kargil -- that it was both a political and intelligence failure. Singh recalls his meetings with the then Vice Chief, who tried to give the impression that the intrusions were by terrorists and irregulars and not by Pakistani armymen. He writes, “There was a clear contradiction between assertions of early intercepts of them being of Pakistan army etc., and then simultaneously of irregulars and terrorists.”
References to the Agra summit in Singh’s book make it abundantly clear that the Vajpayee government was underprepared for the event and at a loss on how to deal with the aggressive Pakistanis at times. Even the media was not handled properly though Singh has tried to take the blame for it to absolve his colleague Sushma Swaraj and the then spokesperson Nirupama Rao.
A point that Singh makes while talking about the Pokhran blasts is that it was the culmination of the efforts of previous prime ministers and his government had excelled in keeping the matter a closely-guarded secret, which had perturbed the Americans a great deal. The book recounts the deft manner in which the matter was handled but makes no attempts to clarify whether the then Indian PM and his aides had offered to give a written undertaking to the US that no further tests would be conducted.
At a time when the BJP is gathering ammunition to corner the UPA government in Parliament, Singh has also provided the Congress with fodder to help embarrass leaders of his party on the floor of the House. It is difficult to write on contemporary affairs since there are always people who can dispute claims and counter claims. But there is no denying that interesting days are here again. Between us.
