Opposition parties avoided harsh criticism of the Union government on Wednesday after a Coast Guard official said it was he who ordered his troops to destroy a Pakistani boat on New Year’s Eve night off the Gujarat coast and those in the vessel did not blow it up themselves as was said earlier.
The Defence Ministry had maintained that the four persons in the boat “blew it up” after the Coast Guard spotted them. However, a recent video shows Deputy Inspector-General, Coast Guard, B.K. Loshali saying he had ordered the destruction of the boat.
The Congress accused the Centre of handling the issue casually. Party leader Ajay Maken told presspersons: “When you make contrary statements on such issues, they are likely to be used against you by enemy countries.”
CPI national secretary D. Raja told The Hindu that the issue was serious as Mr. Loshali was a commander and not any ordinary seaman. “Is this the sign of good governance? The government needs to tell the truth,” he said.
“The border between India and Pakistan is infested with terror activity and the government has to take these steps. The Defence Ministry may have a strategic viewpoint on this and political parties need not comment on this,” DMK leader T.M. Selvaganapathy told The Hindu . “This reflects the functioning of the government ... This is like one hand does not know what the other is doing,” AAP spokesman Ashutosh said.
