MADRAS, Former Foreign Secretary, A.P. Venkateswaran has lashed out at the’ Nehru dynasty and said that a solution to the Pun jab problem could be found only if this dynasty was removed.
Addressing the Madras press club, Mr. Venkateswaran, who is an independent candidate in the South Madras constituency, said, “The Sikhs will not come to terms with a member of the dynasty which saw the death of over 4,000 Sikhs (Delhi after Mrs Gandhi’s assassination). Only if the dynasty goes, the Sikhs may come to terms.”
But even when internal problems like that in Punjab remained unsolved, the present political leadership had taken a decision to meddle in Sri Lanka. The U.S. Presence in Sri Lanka which was touted as an afterthought for the Indian Involvement, was specious as no Indian army could really have prevented the U.S. from set ting up a base if they had wanted to.
Decrying the killings of Tamils in the island, he said that any per son raising a voice against the IPKF was immediately branded as an antinational. But the fact remained that instead of helping the Tamils in Sri Lanka, the Indian
Government through deployment of the IPKF had only succeeded in splitting the Tamils. Once the IPKE withdrew, most of the top EPRLF men would cross over to India as they did not have any popular support, Even by IPKF overall commander Lt Gen A. S. Kalkat’s admission, the LTTE commanded 95 per cent popular support in the island.
Referring to the border issue with China, he said in 1984 there seemed to be a possible solution to the impasse, and even Mrs. Gandhi seemed inclined to proceed with it. But External Affairs Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao, whom he described as “the bone less wonder I had the indignity to serve”, scuttled it by telling Mrs Gandhi to wait for the general election before proceeding.
Later after Rajiv Gandhi came to power, Mr Venkateswaran said that he had raised the subject again.
“But one of the young twerps in his (Rajiv’s) coterie said that the problem could wait for 50 years without making any material difference. I knew then that we had lost a very golden chance.”
He said that till then, China had not raised much dispute over the eastern sector and the formula of 1984 related only ‘to this sector. But by 1987, China had made this sector also a contentious issue,
Mr Venkateswaran said that the erosion of institutions started during the days of Mrs Gandhi itself as the institutions stood in the way of her personal ambitions.
He said that even Mrs Gandhi had been corrupt, but “she used better middlemen.”
Referring to his decision to con test the elections, he said that there had been an understanding with the National Front that it would support his independent candidature from South Madras. But the regional party (DMK) had for some reason backed out. Never the less, he was going ahead as he decided not to shy away from politics. Politics in itself was not dirty but only the politicians and it was time that someone decided to go and clean it up.
He appealed to the voters to use the ballot box to choose good per sons and not to go merely for political parties, as in India interest of the party leader came first, then that of the party and only then the country.
Article extracted from this publication >> November 24, 1989
