Govt hiding information on Kargil 8212; Pranab

MUMBAI, JUNE 26: Rajya Sabha member and AICC general secretary Pranab Mukherjee charged the Bharatiya Janata Party government with hiding...

MUMBAI, JUNE 26: Rajya Sabha member and AICC general secretary Pranab Mukherjee charged the Bharatiya Janata Party government with hiding information that should be shared with the nation about the on-going Kargil conflict but expressed disapproval of selective leaking of information such as the Cabinet Committee on Security8217;s discussion of 8220;safe passage8221; on Friday. It8217;s not right that Cabinet discussions are publicised and circulated; it is 8220;unethical, uncalled for8221; and against the functioning of the Cabinet system, he said.

The government must take steps to avoid third-party intervention in the conflict now, call for an all-party meeting to discuss the situation and convene a Rajya Sabha session on the issue, he said. 8220;The Congress call for a RS session is not politically motivated but because it is the forum to express national consensus; the issue should be discussed and debated there. The Parliament had passed resolutions in support of the defence forces in the 1962 and 1971 conflicts,8221;Mukherjee said. The Congress will discuss the issue in a constructive manner and express solidarity with the jawans on the border, he added.

However, this did not mean that the Congress was absolving the BJP government for the present war-like situation in Kargil; we will take the government to task at an appropriate time but considering the present situation, we are supporting whatever efforts are being made on the border, Mukherjee stated.

8220;Still the government shares nothing with us,8221; he told a news conference. Mukherjee was in Mumbai to deliver the first Homi Talyerkhan memorial lecture on coalition politics.

It was imperative that the government shares information since the nation has right to know but we don8217;t know any details of the discussions between the foreign minister and his Chinese counterpart, or the Prime Minister and the US President, or the details of the G-8 declaration, he said. The government was hiding information and a Rajya Sabha session is the forum to seek and discuss allthis, he added.

Mukherjee also criticised the BJP for its shenanigans in Haryana this week saying it could have at least waited for the Kargil conflict to end since Haryana as a border state was a vital supply line to soldiers. 8220;The Congress had no option but to bail out the Haryana Vikas Party during the confidence vote in such a situation but we are not trying to create instability. The Congress did not like the way the BJP indulged in horse-trading to grab power with the Indian National Lok Dal after withdrawing support to Bansi Lal government.8221; Asked about a possible merger with the HVP, he said that only party president Sonia Gandhi would discuss and decide on the issue.