Gandhis more committed to cause than other politicians: Jaiswal

Lucknow, Apr 18 (UNI) Union minister of state for Home Sri Prakash Jaiswal today defended Amethi MP Rahul Gandhi's statement that the Gandhi family was instrumental in division of Pakistan.

Talking to reporters here, Mr Jaiswal said Rahul's statement was true in the context it was made. ''When crores of East Pakistan refugees were pouring in, then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi approached several nations for a solution. When no one helped, she took on the responsibility of meeting the aspirations of people of East Pakistan...what is wrong in Rahul's claim that Gandhis keep their promise,'' he said.

He maintained that while former Prime Minister P V Narasimha Rao was an excellent leader, no political leader in the country matched the commitment for any cause like the Nehru-Gandhi clan.

''I do not mean that former prime ministers Lal Bahadur Shastri and P V Narasimha Rao were number 2 leaders. But it remains a fact that the commitment shown by the Nehru-Gandhi family is not available anywhere else,'' he added.

He claimed that former Prime Ministers Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi had to pay with their lives for living up to the cause of nationalism and secularism. ''When newspapers write that Rajiv Gandhi laid the foundation for a temple at Ayodhya, they forget to mention that it was planned opposite the Babri mosque...demolition of the structure was never on the agenda,'' he added.

UNI