Patil clean chit to Pak will hurt India: BJP

The BJP reacted strongly to Home Minister Shivraj Patil’s reported statement that “we should not blame Pakistan for every wrong thing, either increase in infiltration or spurt in violence here”.

The BJP reacted strongly to Home Minister Shivraj Patil’s reported statement that “we should not blame Pakistan for every wrong thing, either increase in infiltration or spurt in violence here”.

Party spokesperson Prakash Javdekar said the Home Minister’s statement is a “clean chit to Pakistan” and will affect India’s efforts to raise the issue at the secretary-level talks which began Tuesday.

The BJP spokesperson said the statement is contrary to facts. In April 2007, more than 82 attempts of infiltration were detected, which is alarmingly high and three times that of last year’s figures for the same period, he said. “In May, 64 cases of infiltration were detected, and in June more than 41 militants were killed while crossing the border,” he added.

According to the BJP, Patil’s statement is indicative of the “contradictions of the UPA’s policy vis-a-vis infiltration,” since Defence Minister A.K. Antony had described rise in infiltration as a matter of concern.