BJP on Tuesday expressed concern that the country was getting locked into an "asymmetrical relationship" with the US.
Accusing the ruling Congress-led coalition government of "capitulation" before the US, the BJP said this relationship was on the lines of that pursued by Pakistan, and if it continued, New Delhi would find itself stuck in the same situation as Islamabad.
"The interests of the two countries (the US and India) need not converge all the time," senior BJP leader former foreign minister Jaswant Singh said on the sidelines of a party conclave here.
"It is unwise for India to get locked into the strategic interests of the US, like for example Pakistan is locked in Afghanistan. Just as we got locked for long decades with the (erstwhile) USSR," Singh told IANS.
When it was pointed out that this stand of the BJP was no different from that of the Left parties that prop up Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's government, Jaswant Singh said, "their (Left parties) stand is totally different."
In a resolution adopted by the BJP national executive here, the party expressed dissatisfaction and grave concern at the government's failure to frame an integrated foreign policy vision.
"It is saddening to note that for the first time in the history of the country the Minister for External Affairs has been asked to step down," Singh said, referring to Natwar Singh's ouster following allegations of his involvement in the Iraqi oil scam.
{{/usCountry}}"It is saddening to note that for the first time in the history of the country the Minister for External Affairs has been asked to step down," Singh said, referring to Natwar Singh's ouster following allegations of his involvement in the Iraqi oil scam.
{{/usCountry}}Jaswant Singh noted that in the past 18 months, India's geopolitical reality had changed dramatically and the US's military presence had increased manifold in India's strategic region, namely in Pakistan, Iraq, Afghanistan and other Gulf countries.
The BJP resolution also sought to highlight the problem of illegal immigration from Bangladesh, allegedly encouraged by successive Congress and Marxist governments and now continued by the present government.
"For this easy device of electoral advantage, our northeastern states and border districts of West Bengal have been converted into extremely sensitive regions with potentially disastrous security implications," the resolution said.
It also pointed out flaws in Indian diplomacy with regard to the issues of terrorism fostered by Pakistan, the Maoist insurgency in Nepal, and the Kashmir problem.