Thursday, April 21 2005 13:28 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

New Delhi: Agitated Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) members in the Rajya Sabha today (Apr 21, 2005) strongly denied that the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) Government ever considered converting the Line of Control (LoC) along Jammu and Kashmir into International Boundary (IB) with Pakistan.

BJP leaders Sushma Swaraj, Murli Manohar Joshi, Pramod Mahajan and Yashwant Sinha reacted angrily when Minister of State for External Affairs E Ahamed, replying on the issue during Question Hour, said this Government had no such proposal.

"So far as this Government is concerned, there is absolutely no such suggestion," Ahamed said.

Sinha said Ahamed by indicating that the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Government had no such proposal was suggesting that the previous NDA Government had considered the issue.

Terming it as an "insinuation", former External Affairs Minister Yashwant Sinha said the UPA Government could check records of the NDA Government on the issue.

The issue cropped up after Congress member Anand Sharma, during Question Hour, wanted to know whether former US Assistant Secretary of State Strobe Talbot had claimed in a book "Engaging India" that during his talks on three occasions, India had expressed willingness to convert the LoC into International Boundary with Pakistan.

Sharma wanted to know whether the matter involved leader of the Opposition and former External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh.

The Congress member sought an explanation as to why Parliament was not taken into confidence in this regard.

On persistent denial from BJP members, Sharma asked whether the claims in the book were a "lie".