Don’t take credit for return of marines’: Oppn tells govt
23 March 2013 12:42 AM GMT
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Friday slammed the government for claiming credit for the return of marines and insisted that it was only due to Supreme Court pressure that the Italians had relented. The principal opposition accused the government of extending its ‘politics of appeasement’ to the international fora.
‘Today is the day of the rule of law in India. Italy is sending the two marines back. It is due to the strictness shown by the Supreme Court that the two marines who used to go back for Christmas and voting in the elections have been called back,’ said BJP spokesperson Shahnawaz Hussain.
The party hit out at external affairs minister Salman Khurshid for claiming that diplomacy had ensured the return of the two marines charged with killing of two fishermen off Kerala coast and asked why he has failed to bring back terror mastermind Dawood Ibrahim from Pakistan.
‘Khurshid is taking credit for this. Mastermind of the Mumbai blasts Dawood Ibrahim is still in Pakistan. Why does he not bring them back? Even the Mumbai attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed is there. Government should bring them back,’ said Hussain.
The main opposition maintained that though it did not wish to do politics on such an issue, the fact is that had there not been Supreme Court pressure, this would not have happened. ‘This government has been doing politics of appeasement in the country and is now doing it on the international for as well,’ said BJP spokesperson, adding that the return of the marines was a ‘victory’ of the apex court.
Asked about government assurance to Italy that the two marines will not be given a death penalty as it is not a rarest of rare case, the BJP leader said the quantum of punishment should be determined by the Supreme Court and not the government. BJP charged that the two marines were sent as special guests to Italy.
‘Today is the day of the rule of law in India. Italy is sending the two marines back. It is due to the strictness shown by the Supreme Court that the two marines who used to go back for Christmas and voting in the elections have been called back,’ said BJP spokesperson Shahnawaz Hussain.
The party hit out at external affairs minister Salman Khurshid for claiming that diplomacy had ensured the return of the two marines charged with killing of two fishermen off Kerala coast and asked why he has failed to bring back terror mastermind Dawood Ibrahim from Pakistan.
‘Khurshid is taking credit for this. Mastermind of the Mumbai blasts Dawood Ibrahim is still in Pakistan. Why does he not bring them back? Even the Mumbai attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed is there. Government should bring them back,’ said Hussain.
The main opposition maintained that though it did not wish to do politics on such an issue, the fact is that had there not been Supreme Court pressure, this would not have happened. ‘This government has been doing politics of appeasement in the country and is now doing it on the international for as well,’ said BJP spokesperson, adding that the return of the marines was a ‘victory’ of the apex court.
Asked about government assurance to Italy that the two marines will not be given a death penalty as it is not a rarest of rare case, the BJP leader said the quantum of punishment should be determined by the Supreme Court and not the government. BJP charged that the two marines were sent as special guests to Italy.
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