FLASH | Thursday, August 27, 2009 | Email | Print | 
Brajesh on Kandahar: Advani knew decision to free terrorists
PTI | New Delhi
Adding to LK Advani's woes in the midst of a crisis in BJP, former National Security Advisor Brajesh Mishra on Thursday said that the former Home Minister was part of the NDA Government's decision to release three terrorists and to send Jaswant Singh to Kandahar for securing hostages' release.
"The decision was taken by the Cabinet Committee on Security which has, you know, five members- - Prime Minister, Home Minister, Finance Minister, External Affairs Minister and Defence Minister.
"....Once those demands were whittled down to three terrorists and no money and no interred remains (of some terrorist), then there was a unanimous decision of the CCS that in order to save the lives of 160 plus hostages and the aircraft crew, it made sense to release these three terrorists and get the hostages back," Mishra told Karan Thapar on CNN-IBN.
When asked if it was an unanimous decision, he replied, "Of course".
Q: Was Advani part and parcel of it?
A: Yes, of course.
Mishra, who is considered close to former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, said Advani was also aware of the decision to send External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh to Kandahar to secure the release of hostages.
"Again the CCS met and Mr Jaswant Singh proposed that he would go to Kandahar to bring back the hostages and he explained that the Indian representatives who were negotiating in Kandahar - diplomats, IB, RAW - they had suggested that somebody should be there to take care of any last minute complications. This he informed the CCS and
they agreed to send (him)," Mishra said.
When asked again if this was an unanimous decision, Mishra replied in the affirmative.
On whether Advani was a party to the decision, he said yes.
"Three members of CCS, George Fernandes (then defence minister), Jaswant Singh and Yashwant Sinha (Finance Minister) have already said this," Mishra added.
The former NSA clarified that initially no one was in favour of any concession while dealing with the hijackers.
"To begin with, they wanted the release of 36 terrorists. They wanted $ 200 million. And they wanted the interred remains of some terrorist.
Nobody was prepared to accept this. Each and every member (of CCS) was opposed to agreeing to those demands," he said.
Mishra said Advani did not dissent. "Also he did not open his mouth and say yes I do agree," he said, adding, he was there when the decision was taken.
He was asked whether Advani was party to the decision.
Vajpayee would not have sacked Jaswant sans notice: Brajesh
PTI | New Delhi: In a veiled criticism of the BJP leadership including L K Advani, former National Security Advisor Brajesh Mishra on Thursday said that Jaswant Singh would not have been summarily expelled for his views on M A Jinnah if Atal Bihari Vajpayee had been active in the party.
Mishra, who was a close aide of Vajpayee, also said that the former Prime Minister would be "deeply hurt" by the present situation in the BJP.
"Certainly not. Not without asking him (Jaswant), please explain. Certainly not," he told Karan Thapar in CNN-IBN's Devil's Advocate programme.
He was asked what would have been Vajpayee's course of action and would he have expelled Singh.
Mishra said that Vajpayee would not have criticised Jaswant Singh for his remarks on Jinnah because he did not criticise Advani when he called Jinnah secular in 2005 during his visit to Pakistan.
He said Vajpayee also did not believe in actions like banning of books or this or that.
Asked whether Vajpayee would be hurt by current squabbles in BJP, he said Vajpayee would be "deeply hurt" about the situation in the party.
Mishra said Vajpayee was a very democratic personality. If he had been active he would have put an end to it (the present squabbles in BJP).
"A person who did not want Modi (Gujarat Chief Minister) to resign but sought corrective measures... How can I say that he would have supported this kind of action in Rajasthan like seeking resignation of Vasundhara Raje," he said.
Vajpayee would have called Raje and asked her what was happening in the party and that would have been the message for people to set the situation right.
Mishra said Vajpayee did not believe in factionalism and treated the whole party as one. He would allow even his critics to have their say in meetings.
To a question whether Vajpayee was a master tactician, he said, "Perhaps, if you want to call him that way but that was only a by-product in nature than a calculated attempt."
He said in Cabinet meetings Vajpayee would not speak much but would allow others to have their say and at the end would ask whether a particular thing could done in a particular way and that would seal matters.
Mishra, who is considered close to former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, said Advani was also aware of the decision to send External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh to Kandahar to secure the release of hostages.
"Again the CCS met and Mr Jaswant Singh proposed that he would go to Kandahar to bring back the hostages and he explained that the Indian representatives who were negotiating in Kandahar - diplomats, IB, RAW - they had suggested that somebody should be there to take care of any last minute complications. This he informed the CCS and
they agreed to send (him)," Mishra said.
When asked again if this was an unanimous decision, Mishra replied in the affirmative.
On whether Advani was a party to the decision, he said yes.
"Three members of CCS, George Fernandes (then defence minister), Jaswant Singh and Yashwant Sinha (Finance Minister) have already said this," Mishra added.
The former NSA clarified that initially no one was in favour of any concession while dealing with the hijackers.
"To begin with, they wanted the release of 36 terrorists. They wanted $ 200 million. And they wanted the interred remains of some terrorist. Nobody was prepared to accept this. Each and every member (of CCS) was opposed to agreeing to those demands," he said.
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