Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar sparked off a controversy after he charged that some former Prime Ministers of the country had compromised “deep assets of national security.” While Mr. Parrikar refused to disclose any names, the Congress has sought an explanation and apology from him.
Speaking at the release of a Hindi weekly in Mumbai on Thursday, Mr. Parrikar said he had not revealed details about the December 31 Coast Guard operation involving a Pakistani boat off the coast of Gujarat, hinting that the “source (of the information) might have been compromised.”
“You have to build deep assets. Deep assets are created over 20-30 years. Sadly, there were some prime ministers who compromised deep assets,” Mr. Parrikar said. He did not elaborate on what the term “deep assets” implied nor did he divulge any names. “I am not going to disclose names. Many people know,” he said.
Reacting to the Minister’s remark, Congress leader Manish Tewari called it a “grave charge,” which required an explanation. His party colleague Digvijaya Singh went further and asked if the list included a former PM under the NDA rule, Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
