The BJP sharply slammed the government Wednesday over Defence Minister A.K. Antony not blaming the Pakistani army for killing five soldiers on the LoC in Jammu and Kashmir even as the Congress defended the minister and accused the main opposition party of playing politics on the issue.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) members in the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha were furious that Antony blamed "terrorists" and people "in military uniform" for the early Tuesday ambush while an earlier army statement placed the blame on the Pakistan Army.
The BJP said Antony should apologise to the country and New Delhi should not have talks with Islamabad.
Antony Tuesday told parliament that "20 heavily armed terrorists along with persons in Pakistan Army uniform" were responsible for the killings near the Line of Control (LoC), which divides Kashmir between India and Pakistan.
An earlier Defence Ministry statement - which was withdrawn later - stated that the ambush was carried out by a Pakistan Border Action team. It also said that the Pakistan Army was involved in the attack.
Pakistan Border Action team comprises regulars of the Pakistan Army and militants.
Launching the party's attack, BJP leader L.K. Advani said there was no justification in having talks with Pakistan if Islamabad was involved in the incident. He said there was a need for the defence minister to tell the truth.
Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj asked Antony to clarify on the killings. As the defence minister was not present in the Lok Sabha, she called upon Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who was in the house, to make a statement.
Sushma Swaraj also questioned the government over the differences in the statements from Antony and the defence ministry.
"He has given a clean chit. He has buried them (of the charges). It is a serious issue," she said. Sushma Swaraj said Antony should accept reality and seek forgiveness from the country.
She said Pakistan cannot be absolved of charges.
Her colleague M. Venkaiah Naidu asked if Antony's statement was linked to a possible meeting between Manmohan Singh and his newly-elected Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif on the sidelines of UN General Assembly in September.
Speaking to reporters, BJP's Yashwant Sinha, a former foreign minister, described Antony's statement as "laughable". "It seems as if he (Antony) is on the Pakistan Army's side. It was a most laughable statement as the army has clearly stated that Pakistani soldiers were involved and as the army is on the ground they know better than what the prime minister and defence minister know."
Sinha said he had submitted a privilege motion on the issue to Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar. Speaking to TimesNow news channel, Advani said both the statements by Antony and the defence ministry were official ones and that was why the BJP raised the "issue of contradiction".
Congress spokesperson P.C. Chacko defended Antony and accused the BJP of playing politics over the issue.
"There is no goof up and no contradiction in his statement. The BJP is using it (Antony's statement) as a political weapon while he was just trying to share information available with the parliament," said Chacko.
