Advani raps late, absentee party MPs on the knuckles

The home minister added that it were not the allies who were causing trouble for the NDA government. He cautioned the MPs against adopting a frivolous attitude during parliamentary sessions, lest it led to problems for the Vajpayee Government.

Advani then proceeded to describe the achievements of the Government in the first week in Parliament, which included the unilateral cease-fire declared in Kashmir and the outcome of the adjournment motion, which was defeated by a margin of more than 100 votes.

Explaining the reasons for declaring the cease-fire, he said the Government had taken a “calculated risk”. When Vajpayee declared the cease-fire, the idea was that the armed forces won’t fire the first shot. “But this does not mean that our troops have given up arms. Terrorists will not be allowed to take advantage of the cease-fire and intruders will be checked at any cost,” the Home Minister observed.

The cease-fire, Advani pointed out, was not directed only at the militants but also at Pakistan. “It should close its camps for the terrorists and also put an end to cross-border firing.”

The cease-fire announcement, according to him, was part of the peace initiative taken by the Prime Minister. “We have taken a calculated risk as the first initiative, taken in the form of the Lahore bus journey, culminated in the Kargil war. Let’s hope the latest initiative gets a better deal,” he said.

One fallout of the peace process was that India’s stock across the world had gone up, Advani claimed.