India paying heavy price due to UPA's foreign policies: Advani

By Staff
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Google Oneindia News

Mumbai, May 1 (UNI) Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha L K Advani today alleged the UPA government lacked direction, coherence, independence and even a full-time minister in foreign policy.

In a statement, Mr Advani, who was in the city to visit his injured party colleague Pramod Mahajan at the Hinduja hospital, condemned the abduction and killing of engineer K Suryanarayana yesterday by the Taliban in Afghanistan.

''This is the second instance of killing of an Indian by the Taliban forces in less than six months. The BJP has always valued the long and cherished tradition of bipartisan unit in foreign policy. I am compelled by the number of happenings to remark that our country is paying a heavy price due to UPA's lack of direction in its foreign policy,'' he added.

Mr Advani said the developments in Afghanistan are an instance of the UPA government's lack of comprehension of national interests in managing India's neighbourhood policy.

Mr Advani said the steady erosion of independence in India's foreign policy was the most worrying part. ''This was most clearly evident in the recent Indo-US nuclear agreement through which the UPA government has compromised on the country's national security.

The agreement has reduced India's sovereign and independent control over the minimum credible deterrance capability of our nuclear arsenal,'' he added.

It also puts India in a iniquitous position vis-a-vis other nuclear weapon states'', he said.

He said former External Affairs Minister Natwar Singh's recent criticism of the Indo-US pact is significant. ''It is sad to note that both Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress president Sonia Gandhi have responded to it with their habitual silence, Mr Advani said.'' He said the UPA government seems totally disinterested in acknowleding the ideological roots and global networking of jehadi terrorism, whose Afghan manifestation is the rabid element in the Taliban.

Referring to developmentsin Nepal, Mr Advani said the UPA government's approach was not only confused, but also cavalier.

''Some constituents of the UPA are openly trying to accord legitimacy to Maoists in the Himalayan kingdom,'' he added.

He said the UPA also seems to be mere onlooker in the face of growing influence of certain major powers and regional entities in the internal affairs of Nepal, in a way that undermined India's historically close ties with the Himalayan kingdom.

UNI MR KD AK HS1535

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