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| Rajnath Singh didn't know earthquake had hit Nepal: Jitendra | | | Early Times Report
JAMMU, May 21: MoS in the PMO Jitendra Singh today made a startling revelation while participating in the ABP News-sponsored Shikhar Samelan on the achievements or otherwise of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's one year in office. He surprised the participants, including senior journalists, commentators, strategic affairs experts, political leaders and others, when he disclosed that Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, who was supposed to know the developments taking place around the world, was not aware that an high intensity earthquake had rocked neighboring Nepal, which caused damage to life and property in the Himalayan country on an unprecedented scale, and that it was the Prime Minister who informed the Home Minister about the nature and magnitude of the devastating earthquake. It was a shocker and only Jitendra Singh could have the temerity to say what he said about Rajnath Singh.
Jitendra Singh was asked many straight questions, some of which related to Jammu & Kashmir, and those who asked him questions concerning Jammu & Kashmir included senior journalist Deebang and Anil Anand, former president of Press Club of India of Jammu origin. As expected, he didn't answer any of the questions in the manner it was required to clear the air and set the record straight. When told that the PDP-BJP coalition government had adopted negative attitude towards two important projects (in this case AIIMS and Artificial Lake over river Tawi), Jitendra Singh had nothing to say. The embarrassed minister was neither here nor there. He just beat about the bush. He didn't utter a word to indicate that the BJP was committed to safeguarding the Jammu cause. From his body language it appeared that he had not expected such questions and the man who asked these questions was Anil Anand, who obviously had not taken kindly to the statement of the Chief Minister that the AIIMS will be established in Kashmir and the ongoing Tawi Artificial Lake Project could be shelved as it was not technically and economically viable. The Chief Minister had made this statement in the presence of BJP leader and Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh and another BJP Minister Priya Sethi, who remained mum. At the same time, however, Jitendra Singh described the formation of PDP-BJP coalition government a great achievement, admitting that both the parties were ideologically poles apart.
Jitendra Singh also felt embarrassed when Deebang asked him about the possibility of the return of displaced Kashmiri Hindus to the Valley. Again, he cut a sorry figure, as he had no definite answer to the question. It was a difficult question in the sense that the Union Home Ministry had taken not one but many U-turns in short span of two weeks. The BJP-led NDA Government took these U-turns following the opposition in Kashmir to the proposal that a separate township will be established for them in Kashmir and the refusal of the Chief Minister to create in Kashmir what he called "Israel-type settlements". Even the proposal of the Union Government that "composite" township will be established in Kashmir for them had no taker in Kashmir and the result was that the Ministry informed the Lok Sabha that it had no proposal to set up any settlement for the displaced Kashmiri Hindus in the Valley. Jitendra Singh could only say that Kashmiri Pandits would be taken into confidence before any decision was taken on the issue.
Interestingly, Jitendra Singh did a complete U-turn when a participant asked him to comment on the Geelani's application seeking passport so that he could travel to Saudi Arabia to meet his ailing daughter. He said he had no mandate to speak on the issue and it was for the Home Ministry to take a final call. Early in morning, he had hinted at the possibility of Geelani getting passport. He had talked about humanitarian considerations and what not. Like Jitendra Singh, MoS in the Home Ministry Kiran Rijiju at about the same time also hinted at the possibility of Geelani getting passport. Rijiju told ANI that the matter was "political" and the Government would take "rational decision". Like Jitendra Singh, Kiren Rijiju also did a complete U-turn within an hour or so. He told the ANI that people were creating a controversy for no reason, as the Government had not taken any decision and that "whatever decision the Government would take would be in the national interest". |
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