PM skips national executive meeting

The resurgence of the anti-Pakistan tirade after the Akshardham temple attack prompted the Government today to postpone a formal reaction to...

The resurgence of the anti-Pakistan tirade after the Akshardham temple attack prompted the Government today to postpone a formal reaction to the incident till investigations provide clues to the terrorist group responsible for the strike.

In fact, the Cabinet discussed the matter only briefly this evening and did not pass a resolution as widely expected.

Aware of the mounting passions within his party and Sangh circles, Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee maintained silence on the issue. Significantly, he stayed away from this morning’s meeting of the BJP National Executive which was called to discuss the terrorist attack. Party circles see this as an indication that the PM does not want to associate himself with the hardline stand the BJP took at the meeting as the Government has yet to assess the international implications of again raising the ante against Pakistan.

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Official sources said that a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security Affairs would be called within a few days to take stock of the situation and decide whether India can and should return to its hawkish January position. Both Finance Minister Jaswant Singh and External Affairs Minister Yashwant Sinha are out of the country at the moment.

The attack has placed the Government in a dilemma. With the US and other western nations preoccupied with Iraq, South Block feels that India cannot expect the international community to give its troubles with Pakistan the kind of attention it got after the December 13 attack on Parliament.

India will therefore have to calibrate its reponse accordingly and not put its credibility on line by hitting out at Pakistan without solid evidence.

On the other hand, the Government cannot afford to be seen as going soft on Pakistan after a massacre of devotees at a temple. It is also acutely aware that there will be all round criticism of its failure to curb terrorism. While the Opposition has not said much so far, Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray and the VHP both blasted the Government today on this front.

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The statements issued by senior leaders like party president Venkaiah Naidu and Minister of State for Home I D Swami squarely blaming Pakistan for the attack are indicative of the pressure that is likely to mount on the Government to hit back.

In fact, some of the speakers at the BJP National Executive Meeting this morning openly called for war. Swami too said the option of war was open to India in its efforts to tackle the menace of terrorism.