Yesterday a report on Republic TV accused Manmohan Singh and Mani Shankar Aiyyar to engage in an unauthorized diplomatic contact with Pakistan. Today the Prime Minister referred to the news and accused congress of working with Pakistan’s army to install Ahmed Patel as the Chief Minister of Gujarat.
This is upsetting at so many levels that we cannot begin to comprehend as to why some one holding office of Prime Minister of India can be so careless as to use it in an election speech.
First of all – if true – this meeting would have had been monitored by Indian intelligence agencies and would have been part of the morning intelligence briefing to the PM. So why does the present Prime Minister need to quote a TV channel for the allegation when his own men would have tailed the Pakistan’s high commissioner the moment he would have stepped out of his gated compound. This also brings us to another question – how can a former PM of two terms – Manmohan Singh – not known about this being reported to the government. He practically work up to such intelligence briefings for over a decade.
Then there is the second question of an ex DG level officer of Pakistan Army, championing the cause for one Ahmed Patel to be CM of Gujarat. By extension Modi has alleged a Pakistani mole in Sonia Gandhi’s inner circle and has blamed ex PM of two terms to be part of the conspiracy.
If true, Modi needs to take action. A passing mention in election rally is neither desired nor expected from the Prime Minister of Nation. While the PM called the incident to be a “a serious matter”, yet no investigation has been initiated by NIA. Why?
Such meetings are always part of backdoor diplomacy that may be need of hour as Government of India as well as the party as closed all doors for the Pakistani representatives, putting them in public domain serves no one. Even at the earlier instance of the Chinese diplomatic contact with Rahul Gandhi, as the government had proceeded with creating a war like situation on eastern borders without taking the country into confidence, and Chinese perceived congress to be the pressure cooker valve to stop hostilities.
While we are in dark about what actually transpired in the alleged meeting what we are sure is that such relationships need to be cultivated and used in national interest. PM should be having a direct talk with Manmohan Singh in private and lay his concerns bare. Who knows as our western neighbor is occupied by Beijing in name of CPEC, some elements within the ‘not so lost’ Army may have reached out for Indian help. At any rate discussing about a state election – that too after half of it is over, hardly seems modus operandy of an agencies that cultivate like of Osama Bin laden or whihc plan Kargilincursion for years.
