Country saddled with helpless PM : BJP

New Delhi, Oct 25 (UNI) Alleging that China had committed 140 intrusions during the last one year, the BJP today said it was ironic that the Communists and the Congress leaders in India were never tired of congratulating Chinese President Hu Jintao upon his re-election as General Secretary of the ruling Communist Party in that country.

BJP spokesman Rajiv Pratap Rudy said the party's allegation in Parliament that the Chinese had intruded as deep as 20 km inside Aruncahal Pradesh had been vindicated by Director General of Indo-Tibetan Border Police. It was indeed shocking that the UPA government, particularly Home Minister Shivraj Patil, had repudiated any such intrusion to BJP MP Kiron Rijuju who had raised the issue in Lok Sabha, he added.

He said the deafening silence on important issue of national security by CPI-M chief Prakash Karat and Congress President Sonia Gandhi, and the government's inaction to repeated intrusion was a matter of concern. The government's inaction apparently had an undisclosed agenda of preparing ground for five-day visit of Mrs Gandhi and her son Rahul Gandhi, he alleged.

He said when the country was passing through such a crisis, the statement of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh that he was in the post by accident was disheartening because the country can't be run by accident. ''What was interesting within the UPA was the lampooning of the Prime Minister by his Left partners supporting from outside,'' he added.

The country is saddled with a helpless Prime Minister who was divested of his legitimate executive authority.

Without joining issue with Congress' attack on senior BJP leaders Atal Bihari Vajpayee and L K Advani, Mr Rudy said they were tall leaders and the Congress should not forget that Mr Vajpayee was the first non-Congress PM to complete his term in office leading a coalition government. Even today he is a respected leader by the people of the country and the BJP did not need any certificate from the Congress or any other parties, he added.

China was in possession of 40,000 ectares of Indian territory and the problem will be resolved by the NDA when it assumes power after elections, he said recalling how during the NDA regime, China had given up its claim on the state of Sikkim.

There is unrest along Indian borders. There is pandemonium in Pakistan, infiltration from Bangladesh and turmoil in Sri Lanka. But the country was saddled with a helpless Prime Minister, he alleged.

UNI