New Delhi: The opposition on Sunday slammed the
government on WikiLeaks disclosures with CPI-M saying the main
trend of these cables have shown that the government has been
"succumbing to American pressures" and BJP accusing it of
"completely failing" to grab the opportunity of getting LeT
operative David Headley extradited.
The main trend of these cables have shown that "our
government has been succumbing to American pressures...
particularly on foreign policy (with the government) accepting
the broad thrust of US policies," CPI(M) General Secretary
Prakash Karat told reporters here.
He was responding to questions about the former National
Security Advisor MK Narayanan`s comments as mentioned in the
released cables.
"In the last 5-6 years, there has been continuous pressure
and influence on our government and the political
establishment," he said.
Charging the government with having no consistent policy
against terrorism, senior BJP leader and Rajya Sabha member
Prakash Javadekar said it has to tackle terrorism on a
different footing.
He said there was evidence with regard to Headley, who is
being tried in an American court. "You had an opportunity (of
getting him extradited)," he said.
"But, I think the government has completely failed to
recognise this important fact and this would have nailed
Pakistan much better. But, they lost this opportunity and now
they must at least see if they can still do something because
Headley is still in custody, and (his co-accused) Tahawwur
Hussain Rana is still in custody," he said.
Karat also rejected WikiLeaks disclosures that some CPI-M
leaders favoured foreign investment as one that should be
taken "with a pinch of salt", claiming the Prime Minister had
asked American retail chain Walmart in 2005 to "convince" then
West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee on allowing
FDI in retail sector. But, Bhattacharjee had opposed it, he
said.
PTI
