Chennai, April 29 : BJP president Rajnath Singh on Tuesday asked the Centre to play a “major role” in bringing both the Sri Lankan Government and the LTTE to the negotiating table. He added that the recent meeting between Priyanka Vadhra and Nalini, a convict in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, had a ‘motive’. “Her visit to see Nalini was a diplomatic tactic used by the Congress.” He, however, did not elaborate.
Pointing a finger at BJP’s erstwhile ally DMK, regarding the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi, he said the UPA Government should announce the progress in the investigation into the “unseen hands” behind the killing. “Many inquiries have pointed to some unseen hand and Sonia Gandhi had in 1998 brought down the United Front Government on the issue that the DMK, which she then suspected was a part of the conspiracy, was part of the Government.”
After coming to power, the NDA had constituted a multi-disciplinary monitoring agency (MDMA) to probe into the conspiracy angle, he said. The MDMA had sent letters to 27 countries to pursue the case, even while having DMK on board as an ally. “Now, it is over four years since the UPA came to power, but not a word on the MDMA progress as yet. Rajiv Gandhi’s assassination is not a personal, family affair; the country would like to know the facts behind his assassination.”
Replying to a question on reviving BJP’s understanding with the AIADMK in Tamil Nadu, he said the party was welcoming a “disciplined alliance on the model of the NDA”, indicating that Jaya’s flip flop during the 13-day NDA rule has not yet been forgotten even if grudgingly forgiven. Singh termed as a “personal opinion” the former national security advisor Brajesh Mishra’s statement that he preferred India to sign the nuclear deal with the US. The BJP had not changed its stand of opposing the agreement. Stating that BJP favoured implementation of the Sethusamudram Shipping Canal Project without affecting the Ram Sethu in the Palk Straits, he appealed to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi to re-align the project so as to preserve it.
