M A I N   N E W S

Dy PM is misleading: Congress
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, November 26
The Congress is considering moving a privilege motion against Deputy Prime Minister L.K. Advani for “misleading” the House on the release of militants by the Jammu and Kashmir Government.

Talking to mediapersons, Congress chief spokesman Jaipal Reddy charged Mr Advani with continuing to be an “incorrigible communal propagandist.” “We are examining the possibility of moving a privilege motion against Mr Advani in the Lok Sabha for attempting to mislead the House,” he said, adding that “we would reach a well considered conclusion.”

The verbal war between the main Opposition party and the ruling party over the release of militants in Jammu and Kashmir reached a new high today.

Even as Mr Advani, addressing BJP’s Parliamentary Party meeting today, stood his ground that the Centre was not consulted on the release of militants, Mr Reddy released the names of Intelligence Bureau officials who were consulted before the release.

Mr Reddy said the J and K Government consulted the Joint Director of the Intelligence Bureau who was part of the Unified Command in Srinagar dealing with the militants before the release. He claimed that Chief Minister Mufti Mohammed Sayeed had a formal meeting with the Intelligence Bureau official on November 7 where the issue was discussed.

Replying to a question, Mr Reddy said there was broad agreement between the J and K Government and the intelligence agencies on the release of the militants but they differed on the timing.

Mr Advani did not tell the whole truth either to Parliament or to people when he said the government had not given any clearance for the release of detainees in Jammu and Kashmir, Mr Reddy said.

He reiterated that none of those released was “implicated in overt terrorist activity.’’ He said they had been released in the past by the National Conference government also.

The spokesman said through his outbursts, Mr Advani and “his brigade” were destroying the national consensus in curbing terrorism.

The Congress, he said, would continue to play a positive role in tackling the menace despite the ruling party’s “mischief” with an eye on the Gujarat Assembly elections.