03-29-2008, 05:06 PM
What is going on here? Why should advani say that he was not there? Why say this white lie? Obviously advani NOW knows how damaging it is for a home minister to travel with a terrorist on the same plane, but did he not know at that time? Probably thought it would be a photo-op like opening a building or a bridge. And why would Fernandez contradict advani? Either he is not in good terms with advani or is that brutally honest type. Either way advani should have known better. Wasn't paswan also in govt that time?
This problem is similar to the bosnia white lie issue that is dogging hillary clinton. to the un-initiated, hillary had visited bosnia in 1996 in the middle of the war to cheer up the US troops. Apparently she was warned about sniper fire and other dangers before they landed. during campaign, hillary claimed that she heard sniper shots during the visit and had to run to the plane under grave threat. One comedian who had gone with hillary immediately contradicted, saying the only threat they came under was "excess food" that they had stuffed themselves with. hillary said that comedian was mistaken. unfortunately for hillary, the entire video of the tour came out that showed no sniper fire and proving hillary to be a liar. after the video came out hillary said she made a "mis-statement". as a result hillary's campaign is tanking. politicians lying is a big thing in US as people in US expect their leaders to be honest and held to a higher standard, even if people themselves are not.
I think advani's mis-statement is more damaging as there is nothing wrong with a peaceful visit to bosnia but travelling with a terrorist on the same plane to exchange him is horrible. he should have just moved on, saying that at that time he was more concerned with the lives of the passengers more that about travel arrangements.
This brings to a more important questions... why do leaders that I support get caught like this???? <!--emo&:flush--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/Flush.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='Flush.gif' /><!--endemo-->
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Fernandes drills hole in Advani hijack defence
OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT
New Delhi, March 28: George Fernandes has asserted that L.K. Advani did attend the meeting of ministers which decided Jaswant Singh should fly to Kandahar with the terrorists to be traded off for the passengers of a hijacked Indian plane.
The veteran allyâs remarks left the BJP speechless days after Advani had claimed he was initially unaware of the controversial decision, and came to know of it at the last minute.
âYes, all of us were present,â Fernandes, the National Democratic Alliance convener, told interviewer Karan Thapar when asked whether Advani was at the meeting.
Fernandes was defence minister and Advani home minister in December 1999 when the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government decided that foreign minister Jaswant should accompany the freed militants to Afghanistan.
When Thapar mentioned Advaniâs recent claim, Fernandes suggested the BJP leader might not have been at the meeting âat that point of timeâ and said he didnât think Advani was âlyingâ.
But when the interviewer suggested that Advaniâs recollections could be faulty, the Janata Dal (United) leader, according to the transcript, said: âYes, that can happen.â
BJP spokesperson Prakash Javadekar refused to answer questions relating to the interview, to be telecast on CNN-IBNâs Devilâs Advocate on Sunday. The party had on Monday endorsed the version of Advani, now its shadow Prime Minister.
Fernandesâs remarks will provide ammunition to the Congress, which has anyway ripped into Advaniâs claim.
Some BJP leaders expressed anguish at the ageing and ailing NDA convenerâs âindiscretionâ. They tried to play down the remarks, saying Fernandesâs memory has been failing him.
But many party leaders admitted in private that Advaniâs attempt to wash off the Kandahar blot had breathed fresh life into the dying controversy. They declined to be quoted, saying it was for Advani to set the record straight.
Some in the party see a possible escape hatch in Fernandesâs suggestion that Advani may not have been at the meeting when the decision was taken.
Earlier, the BJP, asked how a home minister could have been so badly out of the loop, had claimed that Advani had indeed been part of the decision to free the terrorists but the meeting had not discussed the details of their Kandahar trip.
Advani, projected as a strong leader concerned about national security, has been at pains to disown the Kandahar capitulation. His recent ârevelationâ came after a failed whisper campaign about his opposition to the militantsâ release.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
This problem is similar to the bosnia white lie issue that is dogging hillary clinton. to the un-initiated, hillary had visited bosnia in 1996 in the middle of the war to cheer up the US troops. Apparently she was warned about sniper fire and other dangers before they landed. during campaign, hillary claimed that she heard sniper shots during the visit and had to run to the plane under grave threat. One comedian who had gone with hillary immediately contradicted, saying the only threat they came under was "excess food" that they had stuffed themselves with. hillary said that comedian was mistaken. unfortunately for hillary, the entire video of the tour came out that showed no sniper fire and proving hillary to be a liar. after the video came out hillary said she made a "mis-statement". as a result hillary's campaign is tanking. politicians lying is a big thing in US as people in US expect their leaders to be honest and held to a higher standard, even if people themselves are not.
I think advani's mis-statement is more damaging as there is nothing wrong with a peaceful visit to bosnia but travelling with a terrorist on the same plane to exchange him is horrible. he should have just moved on, saying that at that time he was more concerned with the lives of the passengers more that about travel arrangements.
This brings to a more important questions... why do leaders that I support get caught like this???? <!--emo&:flush--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/Flush.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='Flush.gif' /><!--endemo-->
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Fernandes drills hole in Advani hijack defence
OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT
New Delhi, March 28: George Fernandes has asserted that L.K. Advani did attend the meeting of ministers which decided Jaswant Singh should fly to Kandahar with the terrorists to be traded off for the passengers of a hijacked Indian plane.
The veteran allyâs remarks left the BJP speechless days after Advani had claimed he was initially unaware of the controversial decision, and came to know of it at the last minute.
âYes, all of us were present,â Fernandes, the National Democratic Alliance convener, told interviewer Karan Thapar when asked whether Advani was at the meeting.
Fernandes was defence minister and Advani home minister in December 1999 when the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government decided that foreign minister Jaswant should accompany the freed militants to Afghanistan.
When Thapar mentioned Advaniâs recent claim, Fernandes suggested the BJP leader might not have been at the meeting âat that point of timeâ and said he didnât think Advani was âlyingâ.
But when the interviewer suggested that Advaniâs recollections could be faulty, the Janata Dal (United) leader, according to the transcript, said: âYes, that can happen.â
BJP spokesperson Prakash Javadekar refused to answer questions relating to the interview, to be telecast on CNN-IBNâs Devilâs Advocate on Sunday. The party had on Monday endorsed the version of Advani, now its shadow Prime Minister.
Fernandesâs remarks will provide ammunition to the Congress, which has anyway ripped into Advaniâs claim.
Some BJP leaders expressed anguish at the ageing and ailing NDA convenerâs âindiscretionâ. They tried to play down the remarks, saying Fernandesâs memory has been failing him.
But many party leaders admitted in private that Advaniâs attempt to wash off the Kandahar blot had breathed fresh life into the dying controversy. They declined to be quoted, saying it was for Advani to set the record straight.
Some in the party see a possible escape hatch in Fernandesâs suggestion that Advani may not have been at the meeting when the decision was taken.
Earlier, the BJP, asked how a home minister could have been so badly out of the loop, had claimed that Advani had indeed been part of the decision to free the terrorists but the meeting had not discussed the details of their Kandahar trip.
Advani, projected as a strong leader concerned about national security, has been at pains to disown the Kandahar capitulation. His recent ârevelationâ came after a failed whisper campaign about his opposition to the militantsâ release.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->