Senior BJP functionary and Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley on Wednesday alleged that Union government’s security initiatives were nothing but “vote-bank policies.”
Mr. Jaitley said here that security initiatives such as the setting up of the National Investigation Agency to combat terror were nothing but vote-garnering exercises of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government.
The Centre’s stance on national and international issues was weak and vacillating. While the Government of India was grappling with the Headley affair for over a year, American Intelligence agencies cracked the case, he said.
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“The UPA government has proven itself to be weak while representing India on the international podium. This was evident from the Sharm-el-Sheikh talks. Is it because to international pressure that we are still trying to revive a composite dialogue with Pakistan?” he said.
The Centre was indecisive on Telangana and Jammu and Kashmir, he said.
Mr. Jaitley alleged that the UPA government was following a policy of appointing retired judges to settle political disputes. “The judges have only been trained to take constitutional, criminal and other decisions. It is extremely peculiar that retired judges are being appointed to resolve political disputes. The very fact that the government is moving on their shoulders is suggestive of their weakness,” he said.
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He appealed to retired and senior judges not to take political decisions in order to maintain the sanctity of the judiciary.
On price rise, he said the Centre had run out of ideas on how to deal with the issue.
Addressing a gathering of BJP workers, Mr. Jaitley said the Congress and the Rashtriya Janata Dal regimes were responsible for Bihar’s “historical backwardness.” Both parties squandered the opportunity to develop Bihar in the 60-odd years when their governments were in power, he said.
Pat for Nitish
He praised Mr. Kumar for his governance. The BJP was proud of the NDA’s performance in Bihar in the last four years. The Opposition parties, who could not see the change taking place in the State under the NDA government, had “put blinkers on their eyes,” he said.
Attacks Sena’s policies
Mr. Jaitley endorsed BJP president Nitin Gadkari’s statement that every Indian has the right to settle in any part of the country, saying it was a constitutional right.
Criticising the policies of the Shiv Sena and the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena, Mr. Jaitley said: “We are a nationalist party and the only one that never practised vote-bank politics.”