Manmohan assails 'ad hoc' approach

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI, AUG. 8. The Opposition in the Rajya Sabha today charged the Vajpayee Government with having approached the Agra summit without adequate preparation. It criticised the `inefficient' and `ad hoc' handling of the summit while welcoming the decision to keep the dialogue process going with Islamabad.

Initiating a discussion on the statement by the Prime Minister on the summit, the Leader of the Opposition, Dr. Manmohan Singh, said the absence of a structured agenda led to the failure of the summit. The Government did not properly utilise the opportunity of the summit through which Gen. Pervez Musharraf sought to gain recognition.

The Government should have bargained with the Pakistan President as he was desperate to gain international recognition. Later, Mr. Pranab Mukherjee, who clarified the comments attributed to him said that by extending an invitation to Gen. Musharraf, the Government legitimised his role as the President of Pakistan. Gen. Musharraf's move to appoint himself as the President was criticised by the United States and others.

Mr. Mukherjee also sought to correct the context of his remarks after the Information and Broadcasting Minister, Mrs. Sushma Swaraj, quoted his speech in the House last year. She juxtaposed the then statement of Mr. Mukherjee advocating talks with Pakistan irrespective of the character of the Government with the Congress criticism over the outcome of the summit.

The Congress leader said his observation was in response to the then statements by the Union Ministers in the post-Kargil phase of the Government's unwillingness to talk to Pakistan till it stopped cross-border terrorism and preference to have a dialogue with elected representatives.

The Congress fielded Dr. Karan Singh as its second speaker and the former Sadr-e-Riyasat dipped into history while putting the problem of Jammu and Kashmir in perspective. He said Gen. Musharraf would be indebted to Mr. Vajpayee for according legitimacy and empowering him in Pakistan and elsewhere.

Taking on the Government, he objected to the unilateral announcement to send the Director-General of Military Operations to Pakistan which was turned down, by blowing hot and cold on Gen. Musharraf's invitation to the Hurriyat and media management.

The Government should have had a person of authority designated to brief the media and wondered how it could express ignorance over Gen. Musharraf's meeting with top editors over breakfast. ``What did you expect that Gen. Musharraf would discuss, weather and Taj Mahal with them?''

Mr. S. Ramachandran Pillai (CPI-M) said the Government lacked perspective, spoke in different voices and adopeted an ad hoc approach. The Government had so far not made itself clear on the talk of trifurication of the State on religious lines.

Urging the Government to continue with the talks, he emphasised that the next meeting should be on the basis of a structured agenda. The discussion was inconclusive.

Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Section  : National
Previous : Govt. should act tough, says BJP
Next     : U.P. Govt. gears to face SP protests