Date:19/02/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/02/19/stories/2008021953271000.htm

National

“Regret” has no place in BJP lexicon: Congress

Special Correspondent

Criticises Rajnath’s remark
Not surprising,
says Singhvi

NEW DELHI: Raising the pitch against the Bhartiya Janata Party on the issue of terrorism, the Congress said it was “not surprised” at the BJP president Rajnath Singh’s remark that the release of three terrorists by the NDA government, in the wake of the December 1999 Kandahar plane hijack, was not a “weak point” for the party.

“The BJP chief’s lack of regret for Kandahar is not surprising. Regret is a word that cannot be found in their dictionary. They have no regret about Kandahar or Kargil or the demolition of the Babri mosque or the sari distribution stampede in Lucknow, or when Raj Dharma is not adhered to in Gujarat or for the Tehelka sting operation [on the violence in the State], or for their new-found love for Jinnah [Pakistan founder] for which they have rewarded L.K. Advani with the ‘post’ of Prime Minister-in-waiting,” Congress spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi said here on Monday.

“The only regret the BJP has is about the halt in their lust for power when they were ousted by the United Progressive Alliance,” he added.