Jaswant blames politicians for present security situation

NEW DELHI, June 25:  BJP leader Jaswant Singh today held politicians responsible for the country’s present security situation, saying they are to be blamed as they are at the helm of governance.

“There is a lack of governance, and the situation would continue till the politicians don’t begin to think about national security. They have to rise and think beyond winning elections after five years,” he said.

The former External Affairs Minister was addressing a seminar on “Threats to National Identity and Security”, organised by Dr Shyama Prasad Mookerjee Research Foundation to mark his 60th death anniversary.

Singh expressed his displeasure over the way India’s current foreign policy was being taken forward and said, “Due to this our relations with Sri Lanka had deteriorated.

“Also the experiment of Indian Peace Keeping Force in Sri Lanka to fight against Liberation Tigers of Tamil Elam (LTTE), whom India had promoted, is an example of our bad experience.”

He said our relations with China and Pakistan, over border issue, are the examples of the wrong policies of former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru.

“While China worked on strengthening its internal security and borders, Pt Nehru’s first concern was to become more popular in the world,” the BJP leader said.

“India would be the only country in the world which had such a vast territory but its borders are not defined even after the 66 years of Independence,” he claimed.

He also said that India had no idea about the number of its island territories till 2002.

“After the 2002 Kargil War, when committees were set up to review the war operation, then we came to know about our island territories, and then Andamans and Nicobar Command was set up for the first time,” he said. (PTI)