New Delhi, June 11
Immediately after deciding to have a shadow Cabinet, the BJP today directed former External Affairs Minister Yashwant Sinha to take on External Affairs Minister of the United Progressive Alliance government on the issue of sending Indian troops to Iraq.
The idea to have a shadow Cabinet on the line of British parliamentary system was mooted today at the first meeting of the newly constituted office-bearers of the BJP.
The meeting was chaired by BJP President M. Venkaiah Naidu and was attended by Leader of the Opposition L.K. Advani among others.
The party felt that there was a need to have experts on major subjects who could formulate party’s stand on different subjects and issues in and out of Parliament and hence it had been decided to have a concept of shadow Cabinet.
Later, Mr Sinha came out saying that Mr Natwar Singh’s reported statement on sending of Indian troops to Iraq should have come only after all political parties were taken into confidence on the crucial issue.
“If media reports are true, then it is a serious statement from the Minister and all political parties should be consulted if the UPA government wants to change the earlier decision of the former NDA government not to send troops to Iraq,” Mr Sinha said here.
Mr Natwar Singh, who is in Washington to represent India at the funeral service of former US President Ronald Reagan, had reportedly said that the question of sending Indian troops to Iraq would have to be placed before the government at the “highest level”.
