The Hindu : Foreign origin issue

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Jul 19, 2003

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Foreign origin issue

By Our Special Correspondent

RAIPUR JULY 18. Will the Bharatiya Janata Party make an issue of the Congress president, Sonia Gandhi's Italian birth?

There were references to the contrast between the "leadership" of Prime Minister, Atal Behari Vajpayee, and that of the "dynasty" represented by Ms. Gandhi in the opening address of the BJP president, Venkaiah Naidu, at the party's three-day national executive committee here today. But nothing much more was stated by him.

However, at a press conference, the spokesperson and party general secretary, Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, suggested by inference, but did not say it, that Ms. Gandhi could even be a security threat.

In response to a question on this, Mr. Naqvi said that those born here would be "more sensitive to and more responsible towards issues related to national interest". He then asked dramatically: "Will Pervez Musharraf be acceptable as India's Prime Minister?"

The reference to the Pakistan President was perhaps a reminder to the election campaign conducted by the BJP in Gujarat when the Chief Minister, Narendra Modi, repeatedly suggested that a vote against his party was a vote in favour of Gen. Musharraf.

Later in the evening, the Union Law and Commerce Minister, Arun Jaitley, said: "Mr. Naqvi had neither stated nor did the party believe that Ms. Gandhi's foreign birth issue related to a security threat." However, the BJP did have a view on persons other than India-born citizens occupying high constitutional offices, he added. It was a political and constitutional issue, but "we certainly believe that the ability and capacity to lead (the country) should be the principal issue and not being born somewhere or being part of a particular family.'

The BJP did not believe in making `personalised attacks on leaders of other parties, Mr. Jaitley added, closing the controversy.

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