Indore: Adopting a tougher-than-government stand, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party
(BJP) on April 4 "deplored" as "unjustified" the war by the US-led coalition on Iraq
and wanted that the right of the Iraqi people to determine their political future be
fully respected.
Calling for an immediate end to the war, the national executive of the party, in a
resolution on the situation in Iraq, asked the parties concerned to seek a peaceful,
political solution within the framework of the United Nations.
The party demanded that immediate measures be taken by the international community
to rush humanitarian aid to the suffering people of Iraq in consultation with the
Iraqi government.
It also underscored the need to preserve the sovereignty and territorial integrity
of the war-beleaguered country.
Asked whether the party "deploring" the military action would not prove to be an
embarrassment for the government which has adopted a middle path, BJP general
secretary Pramod Mahajan said, "The party can be more candid but the government has
to be diplomatic."
"I don't think there is any cause for embarrassment," he said.
Law, Commerce and Industry Minister Arun Jaitley and Petroleum Minister Ram Naik
spoke about the economic fallout, including the impact on oil prices and imports as
a result of the war.
PTI
