I covered up for Advani on Kandahar, says Jaswant

ahmedsid

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I covered up for Advani on Kandahar, says Jaswant

I covered up for Advani on Kandahar, says Jaswant: Rediff.com news

Breaking his decade-long silence, former External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh [ Images ] on Friday sought to embarrass L K Advani [ Images ] by saying that he "covered" up for him when he said that the former Home Minister was not aware that he was going to Kandahar with three terrorists during the 1999 hijack episode.

He also said Advani was aware of the decision to release the terrorists in exchange for freedom of over 160 hostages kept in the Indian Airlines plane that was hijacked.

"Yes, he did," Singh, who was expelled two days ago from the Bharatiya Janata Party [ Images ], told NDTV when asked whether Advani knew that Singh was going to Kandahar with three terrorists.

There has been a controversy on the issue with Advani claiming a few years ago that he was not in the know of Jaswant Singh going on a plane with three dreaded terrorists to Kandahar.

Singh was asked why he said during the election campaign that Advani did not know that he was going to Kandahar with the terrorists and whether he covered up for Advani.

"I'm sorry I did," he said when pointedly told that this was a serious thing he was saying that he covered up for Advani.

Singh said he did not reveal this during the campaign. "I tried to cover it. I treated it as part of my continuing sense of commitment and loyalty," he said.

Asked whether he regretted covering for him, Singh said "I don't regret because that is the step I had taken. But it was part of an election campaign. How should I put it? I was being very conservative with truth."

He said Advani could not have not known the decision to fly to Kandhar.

"I announced it in the Cabinet," Singh said.

"How can they (terrorists) be released from prison without the Home Minister consenting and signing pieces of paper," he added.

Singh said he felt very hurt when Advani said what he did and he went. "I went and told him. I was really hurt. Look I have traveled this route to Pakistan in every possible fashion, the Lahore [ Images ] bus, to Kandahar, to Agra [ Images ], Chhatisinghpura, Parliament attack. But I have never tried to transfer responsibility. I have never spoken, it was very hurtful."

Singh also made a veiled criticism of Advani when he asked why the aircraft was allowed to leave Amritsar [ Images ] because once it left the "game was lost."

"Who would be responsible for the aircraft leaving Amritsar. For 45 minutes the aircraft was on ground at Amritsar. All of you are fixated on Kandahar. I didn't go to Kandahar because there was a good night club there. I went there because 166 lives were involved and the officers there asked me to consult if a decision was to be made," he said.

Jaswant said, "I went and told him what do you want me to say now Advaniji. He said you say whatever you want to."

But when told that during the election campaign he did not actually reveal this, Singh said "No, I didn't. I tried to cover it. I treated it as part of my continuing sense of commitment and loyalty."

Asked whether he would have expected Advani to stand up for him, Singh said, "He (Advani) was not required to cover any misdeed. My going to Kandahar was not a misdeed. And I was not going on a holiday jaunt. 166 lives were involved."

He said it was a sense of commitment to India that required to save whatever another colleague has done.

"You know what the comment means. I didn't know. It's a comment not on Jaswant Singh. It's a comment on Atalji because there is a sense of collective responsibility of the Cabinet. We forgot essentials," Jaswant said.

To a query as to what Advani told him when he confronted him privately, Singh said, "I said Advaniji, what do I say to this. Look, for 15 days I didn't. I was very deeply wounded by it, very deeply wounded. And then in 15 days I went and said what do you want me to say. He said say whatever you want to say. Over."
 

ahmedsid

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This casts a huge doubt on Advanis integrity, as far I am personally concerned. I dont know how others feel, But Jaswant Singh is not lying, he is Bitter all right, but not a liar. Advani was just desperate to be the PM that he was ready to lie for it, and pass the buck! Sorry if i sound harsh, but it just goes onto show that none of our Politicians are as honest as they claim to be!
 

Antimony

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I trust Jaswant more than I do Advani (which is not saying a lot), but I wish he had found this backbone sooner.

Of course, we all sometimes are "conservative with truth" when we want to achieve something, even Yudhisthir did it :(:(:(
 

NSG_Blackcats

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Ahmedsid,I completely agree with you. Advani was desperate to be PM and he knew this was his last chance. It was a collective decision made by Cabinet Committee on security to release the terrorist and Jaswant Singh was going to Kandhar in the same plane. As Jaswant Singh told Barkha Dutt in an interview he was not there is kandhar on a holiday trip. The life of 166 Indians were at stake. I have no doubt in my mind that Jaswant Singh is not lying.
 

ahmedsid

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In life, when things dont go your way, you turn yourself against everything you stood for in the past. Had Jaswant been heard in the party, we wouldnt know all this drama Advani played. Jaswant and Advani would still be chums, but lucky for us we got to know the true face of one more so called patriot. Politicians are basically like this, not shocked, but Advani should shed his holier than thou attitude.
 

jaganpjames

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i dont think this was a right time to say about kandahar by Jaswant Singh.. he was just expelled from the party. He might be telling the truth, but given the circumstances, i dont see this getting due coverage.
 

ahmedsid

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Its getting coverage all right! If he hadnt said this now, Maybe months later the media would have forgotten him! Strike while the iron is HOT! ;)
 

Antimony

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Reply to Ahmedsid and NSG

I am fast loosing respect for Advani, assuming I had any in the first place.

I think this points to a darker future.

BJP does not seem to throw up any leaders. I think Arun Jaitley is a smart guy, but he really does not have a mass base and I am wary of his RSS roots.

A strong democracy needs a strong opposition to act as a check on the governing party. The way BJP is floundering, it may fast loose relevance at the major opposition party and that would not be good for the country as a whole.

I sincerely hope that the 3rd Front does not become our main opposition party:(

On a related note, I would really like a fiscally conservative alternative to Congress's somewaht left leaning ideologies. BJP during Atalji showed some progress there, but lately it just seems to be Hindutva:(
 

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If true, the it is sad that LK Advani has lied to nation all this time. Anyways, it was curtains to LK Advani's political career in this general election.

It is time for BJP to look for a more able candidate who can win next general elections for them. I can only see Narendra Modi (with Arun Jaitley in the background) as the only capable person from the present lot despite his communal background, otherwise BJP is a gone case.
 

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I find this pointless. Every politician wants to shirk responsibility for high profile negative outcomes during the previous tenure, it's just the nature of the game.

The real shortcoming was that the entire governmental structure simply wasn't designed or even prepared to handle threats of that nature despite the ridiculously high probability of a terrorist threat. The same holds true today. Pakistani based attacks upon India are imminent for the foreseeable future, and the statistical probability of them repeating old tactics is far lower than the possibility of something new. Are the authorities in India from the lowest level of government to the federal level ready to combat anything that will come their way?

The media is wasting everyone's time by turning this whole thing into a dramatic saga resembling the countless mind numbing soaps that constantly run on TV. This is how a nation of a billion people ends up obsessing over a nonsensical problem when they should be concentrating on finding a solution.
 

Known_Unknown

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I always knew Advani was a sneaky liar and a shrewd politician (guess you can't have one without the other). Just like when he went on the rath yatra knowing fully well the communal disturbances it would cause, and the pretence of submitting his resignation whenever it seemed that he would get in trouble.

I too, trust Jaswant Singh more because he is honest, upright, and has spent half his life in the Army. He does not have the moral backbone of a jellyfish, unlike Advani, Jaitley and their ilk.
 

Yusuf

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No one had bought his lies in the first place. The nation just heard it and took it with a pinch of salt. Imagine the deputy PM and Home min not knowing about a decision that has a major implication on the country?? Such decisions are taken by the cabinet committe on security and the home minister is an integral part of it. Who does Advani think Indians are?? Fools??

It's just that after being called "loh" purush he did not want to be seen as "maum" purush, so the lies.
But all these lies and him not coming clean on it and covering up has more than proved him to be a chicken. Maum purush after all.
 

NSG_Blackcats

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Advani opposed action against Modi over Guj riots: Jaswant​

New Delhi: Sulking over his suspension from the BJP, Jaswant Singh seems in mood to reveal it all. In a startling disclosure, Singh says that it was LK Advani who opposed action against Narendra Modi over the 2002 Gujarat riots. In an interview to a news channel, the former external affairs minister said Advani opposed the move saying that it would create commotion in the party. Narrating the incident Singh recalled a plane journey to Goa – just after the riots- along with Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Advani and Arun Shourie. As per Jaswant, during the trip Vajpayee asked others what should be done about Gujarat and in the same breath suggested that “we should think about it (Gujarat)”.

Jaswant says that when he was then deputed by Vajpayee to ask Advani about his stand over the issue. He goes on to say that when asked, Advani said that it (action against Modi) would create bawaal (commotion) in the party. When asked if it implied that Advani rescued the Gujarat Chief Minister, Singh answered in the affirmative saying, “I think that is correct.” Elaborating further, the MP from Darjeeling, said that following Advani’s opposition, Vajpayee did not pursue the matter although he remained disturbed.

He also revealed that there was a time when, disturbed with the situation in Gujarat, Vajpayee was all set to resign. Describing the incident, Singh said that it happened in the Prime Minister’s Parliament office when Pramod Mahajan hastily called him from the House and told that Vajpayee was resigning and his Secretary was there. “I told his Secretary to go away following which he (Vajpayee) started writing his resignation by hand himself. I somehow persuaded him not to resign and later went to his house and we were able to defuse the situation.”

Link
 

NSG_Blackcats

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^^ Another revelation by Jaswant Singh about Luh Purush (Iron Man). I hope there is still many more to come.
 

Yusuf

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The BJP better get him back. He will spill everything right down to the brand of under garments they wear to get even.
I wonder if he will speak up on Babri demolition?
 

ahmedsid

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oh goody! Lots more info to come! Now its just the Babri stuff left, and I think he might go for it too!!!! Advaniji better check with a good astrologist, his time is really bad! His past has come to haunt him, and haunt him it will!
 

Flint

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The BJP needs to reinvent itself. As of now, it doesn't know what to do or which direction to head in.

I think Narendra Modi himself is a great metaphor for the party. On one hand, he has made Gujarat arguably the best governed state in the country. But the other side of the coin shows complicity in the Gujarat riots. The dichotomy of these two truths is tearing the party apart.

On the other hand, the Congress still gives people like Jagdish Tytler high positions within the party. I guess the fact that the news-media was pretty much non-existent during the 80s helped the Congress.
 

..Azad

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I can't recall mrs Gandhi ever accepted that she created Bhinderwal, neither Rajiv saying that he created LTTE or infact responsible to place an 'Ram' ideol inside babri structure.
Nor i believe that current gandhi/nehru clan taking responsiblity for raj thakre.

Politics is a an art of possibilities, better learned as compromises.

It better both for BJP and Advani to set aside.
 

Yusuf

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Azad,
But you cannot cover up or deny knowledge of terrorists being swapped for hostages being the home kin.
I know what you are trying to say, but it does not count here.
 

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