Atal becoming India's PM unfortunate: Dasmunsi

Varanasi, Apr 28: Union minister for Information and Broadcasting and senior Congress leader Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi said BJP stalwart Atal Bihari Vajpayee becoming the prime minister of the country had been unfortunate.

''The Congress has a rich history of leaders committed to serving the nation...but what about the BJP's ancestors. May be their stalwarts hold the reply. Mr Vajpayee may think and then admit that during his youth, he testified in an Agra court against other youth giving the call of Quit India in 1942,'' Mr Dasmunsi said while addressing an election meeting here last evening.

Mr Dasmunsi claimed that Atalji himself will admit that during his youth he had identified in an Agra court youth active in giving the call of Quit India in Bateshwar (Agra).

''Durbhagya ki baat ye hai ki woh hamare desh ke pradhan mantri ban gaye thay'' (it is unfortunate that he became country's prime minister), he noted.

In the past also, Congress has raised the issue of Mr Vajpayee, during his youth testifying in an Agra court against those freedom fighters involved in Bateshwar incident of 1942 during the peak of Quick India Movement.

Mr Dasmunsi further appealed the voters to support Congress which has a treasured past for working towards national cause. ''Our leaders, including Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru, Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi sacrificed their lives for nation. Even Congress president Sonia Gandhi furthered that rich legacy by sacrificing the post of Prime Minister only to be among the people,'' the union minister added.

Now she has devoted both her children Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Vadra in UP's service overlooking security concerns.'' Taking a strong exception to opposition charges of going slow on Kashmir, Mr Dasmunsi said ''our government will not leave an inch of Kashmir, but at the same time will not engage in a war or war rhetoric with Pakistan. Instead we will use the public funds to address the needs of every village in the country.'' Reacting sharply to Mr Dasmunsi's statements against Mr Vajpayee, former union minister and BJP leader Sushma Swaraj said ''Atalji becoming India's PM was fortunate for the nation. Instead of digging up old issues like the Bateshwar episode during the election, Congress needs to debate the matter nationally.''

UNI