NEW DELHI, June 11 (UNI) Expressing strong reservation over the reported statement by External Affairs Minister Natwar Singh on sending of Indian troops to Iraq, former External Affairs Minister Yashwant Sinha today said all political parties should be taken into confidence before taking any decision.
"If media reports are true, then it is a serious statement from the minister and all the political parties should be consulted if the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government wants to change the earlier decision of the former NDA government not to send troops to Iraq," Sinha told reporters here.
Singh, who is in Washington to represent India at the funeral service of former US president Ronald Reagan, had reportedly said the question of sending Indian troops to Iraq would have to be placed before the government at the "highest levels." He had also said that in the last parliament, he had given his opinion against sending troops to Iraq.
"Now the situation is changed.
There is a resolution unanimously passed by the UN and there are Arab members in it.
We will look at it very carefully," Natwar Singh said.
Sinha said the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) was accused by the Congress of not adopting an independent foreign policy but the statement of Singh on American soil was a serious matter.
The statement of Singh in Washington evoked strong reaction from the former external affairs minister who demanded a clearcut and transparent view of the UPA government on the issue.
Sonia blames successive UP govts for poor law & order PALA KALAN, RAE BARELI, June 11 (UNI) Giving reprieve to Uttar Pradesh chief minister Mulayam Singh Yadav, Congress president Sonia Gandhi today blamed the "successive state governments" for the poor law and order situation in the state.
Addressing the party workers here, Gandhi said the poor law and order situation in UP was a result of the misrule of the various non-Congress governments which ruled the state during the last 15 years.
"The law and order is poor in the state, particularly in Rae Bareli," she added.
Gandhi refrained from blaming the present state government for the poor law and order situation.
A political controversy was created when Gandhi's son and Amethi MP Rahul Gandhi had blamed the state government for the poor law and order situation in the state, particularly in her mother's constituency.
Gandhi accompanied his mother today, the first day of the two-day tour of her constituency after her party came to power at the centre.
He had claimed in Amethi in the last three days that Congress workers were being harrassed in Rae Bareli every alternate day.
The Amethi MP had, without naming, even blamed Akhil Bharatiya Congress (ABC) MLA Akhilesh Singh for the harrassment.
Singh's cousin Ashok Singh had contested against Gandhi in the LS polls.
Yesterday, chief minister Mulayam Singh had retaliated by claiming that the law and order situation in the state, including that in Rae Bareli was normal.
Meanwhile, Gandhi lamented that there had been little developments work done in Rae Bareli and the area lacked hospitals, schools, roads and adequate power supply.
