Senior leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party Arun Jaitely has accused the United States of America of adopting a “myopic” stance over their party’s Prime Ministerial candidate Narendra Modi.
Cautioning that such an outlook has the “potential of recoiling back at them”, Mr. Jaitely in a statement issued on Friday said: “It is time the Americans reflect on how they have boxed themselves into this untenable situation.”
Even as he advised Mr. Modi against applying for a U.S. visa, Mr. Jaitely questioned the United States’ decision of not granting visa to him, despite a clean chit to him for his alleged involvement in the 2002 Gujarat riots.
“Where does that leave the United States opinion on this issue? Modi has not applied for U.S. visa since 2005. My personal advice also has been that he should not apply for a U.S. visa. The American stance on the issue has clearly been one determined by their 'kangaroo court'. To proclaim Modi guilty even when there was no evidence against him despite investigations and re-investigation amounts to immature diplomacy. It constitutes interference in India's internal affairs,” he said.
Speaking in defence of the Gujarat Chief Minister, Mr. Jaitely said the Ahmadabad court’s verdict in the 2002 riots case accepting the report of the SIT and dismissing the protest petition has an extremely important lesson for all.
“What is the extent to which false propaganda can subvert a debate when the facts are otherwise? A section of the media and some NGOs thrived on implicating Narendra Modi and making inaccurate accusations. The extent to which it led to subversion of the debate on this issue needs to be introspected. A Chief Justice of India without looking into all facts chose an inappropriate expression 'Nero'. Will he now retract? An editor used the extreme expression 'mass murderer',” he wrote.
