A meeting of the Bharatiya Janata party's core committee here on Sunday discussed for about 90 minutes what issues should be brought up by Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Sushma Swaraj, when she calls on U.S. President Barack Obama on Monday afternoon.
After striking a wrong note on Saturday when party spokesperson criticised Mr. Obama for not mentioning Pakistan while speaking in Mumbai on the 26/11 attack, senior leaders are now saying that issues related to terrorism will be flagged by Ms. Swaraj at her meeting with the U.S. President, but not in detail “for, that was for the government to take up.”
Outsourcing policies
Apparently, the core committee decided that Ms. Swaraj would bring the President's attention to unhappiness in India over “protectionist policies related to outsourcing” by American business firms to Indian companies.
The second important subject is the deteriorating situation in India's neighbourhood, especially Pakistan and Afghanistan, party sources confirmed.
A few days earlier, BJP president Nitin Gadkari said it was not for the Opposition party to talk about the issue of terrorism in any detail as “that was for the government to take up.” But certainly the BJP would flag the issue with Mr. Obama.
Criticised
The party was roundly criticised on Saturday by a number of political commentators who felt that its expectation that Pakistan should be named a culprit by the visiting American dignitary was in bad form and even childish. It is now thought that when Ms. Swaraj does raise issues related to terrorism, she will focus on the larger picture and talk more of India-U.S. cooperation rather than demand that Pakistan be reprimanded.
Ms. Swaraj is scheduled to call on Mr. Obama on Monday immediately after Vice-President Hamid Ansari calls on him and before United Progressive Alliance chairperson Sonia Gandhi does.
