Khandahar - Who is Responsible?

Rahul attacks BJP on Kandahar issue

MANOJ ANAND
Guwahati

April 20: AICC general secretary Rahul Gandhi on Monday continued his attack on the BJP accusing them of releasing terrorists during the Kandahar hijack during his day-long election campaign in Assam. Just one day is left for campaigning to end.

Mr Gandhi, who addressed at least four election rallies during the day, began his day from north Lakhimpur where he took a potshot at BJP leader L.K. Advani for surrendering to terrorists during the Kandahar plane hijack episode.

He also took a dig at BJP prime ministerial candidate for his claim that he was not aware about the release of militants.

"BJP says Dr Manmohan Singh as a weak PM. But during the NDA rule, the home minister was not even aware that his colleague the external affairs minister was going to release terrorists. What kind of home minister he was when he did not even know what his Cabinet minister was doing," he said.

However, Mr Gandhi’s reference to Central government schemes like midday meal and National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme failed to impress the audiences as execution of all these Central schemes have been questioned by the people in the state.

Terming the NDA as anti-poor, Mr Gandhi claimed that pro-poor programmes and strategies of the UPA were revolutionary and one more term should be given to it for further strengthening those programmes.

Pointing out difficulties in execution of the central government schemes in non-Congress ruled states, Mr Gandhi said, "Fortunately you have a same party government and hence things are far better here."

The AICC general secretary, who was accompanied by Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi in the rally, said that the Congress has always worked for the welfare of adivasi and tribal populace of the country.

"There was India Shining campaign of NDA, which never reached out to tribals. But we did. We have also taken special care of your communication problems and hence the NH 52 is being made," he said while making an appeal to electorates to caste their votes for the Congress candidates in Assam.

Mr Gandhi who started his day from northern Assam’s Lakhimpur moved to Missa and then Kharupetia in central Assam before winding up his whirlwind tour at Dhubri in Western Assam.

The Congress party has been reglarly faulting the BJP government on the Khandahar episode for releasing hostages.
Sometimes Manmohan, sometimes Sonia and now Rahul surely takes the cake.
Of course, you cannot blame Rahul for he was only 19 years old at that time (birthday -19 June, 1970) to see the chain of events which culminated in the Khandahar episode.But he should remember.
On 18th December, 1989, Rubaiya Sayeed, daughter of Mufti Mohammed Sayeed was kidnapped by a Kashmiri Muslim Organisation.
Mufti was the home Minister in the V P Singh government at that time.
The kidnappers demanded the release of five of their comrades in exchange for Rubaiya's release. The government accepted their demands and freed the jailed terrorists. Rubaiya was kidnapped within five days of her father becoming the first Muslim Minister for Home Affairs (India).
The representatives of the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front had called the local newspaper Kashmir Times. They said that their group’s mujahideen had kidnapped Dr Rubaiya Sayeed, and she would remain their hostage until the government released Sheikh Abdul Hameed, a JKLF “area commander” Ghulam Nabi Butt, younger brother of the late Maqbool Butt; Noor Muhammad Kalwal; Muhammed Altaf; and Javed Ahmed Zargar a Pakistani citizen.
There is a lurking grouse in the mind of the people that it was a got up affair organised by Mufti himself to have the militants released.
The actions taken by Mufti and his daughter Mehbooba after the formation of the PDF just strengthens the view.
If at that time the government had been strong and not given into the kidnappers, the Khandahar episode would never have occurred.
Having once caved in to the threats of the kidnappers because of a Home Minister's daughter, how can you fault a government when it wanted to save the lives of a whole load of passengers.
If our government is serious, it should decide once and for all that they will not succumb to presures from kidnappers, no matter who is kidnapped
THOSE WHO LIVE IN GLASS HOUSES SHOULD NOT THROW STONES.
They should follow the Israeli policy of no negotiations no matter how high or mighty is kidnapped.
You kill one of mine, I will kill 10 of yours.