Statesman-like debut by Jaitley as RS Opp leader

Making his debut as Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha, senior BJP leader used his years of experience as a senior advocate to outline the main Opposition’s role in the Upper House, promising to play a constructive role while keeping a close watch on the Government’s functioning.

Jaitley’s hour-long speech, heard with rapt attention by the MPs, placed a range of important issues broadly in three categories — to be supported, to be watched, and to be fiercely opposed.

Reaching out to the Treasury benches, Jaitley said his party “would not oppose the Government for the sake of opposition. At the same time, the BJP would caution and fiercely criticise the Government if it went astray”, he said.

Assuring the nation that the BJP would perform the role of a responsible Opposition, Jaitley admitted that the BJP was disappointed with the Lok Sabha results which, he said, demonstrated people wanted political stability in an era of coalition Governments.

He cautioned the UPA Government that it could no longer take cover behind its allies for non-performance after getting more than 200 seats. “If the last five years lacked adequate governance due to political roadblocks, no such alibi will be available to the Government in the next five years,” he said.

The BJP leader said the role of the Opposition would be guided by national interests, like how to strengthen the country and make India a developed economic power by 2020.

“Our principal objective even when we sit in Opposition is to strengthen India. We are committed to strengthening India by making its borders secure and by eliminating all forms of fear and terror, by expediting the process of economic growth and making India a developed nation by 2020, he said, adding, “We strengthen India by being committed to social justice. Our role is to endorse the Government when it is on track, but to caution it against pitfalls, to act as a watch-dog in order to check abuse of power and fiercely oppose it when needed.

Our sole guide in determining our role is the national interest."

Assuring the Government that the BJP would stand solidly behind it in realising the common goals, he said his party would support the proposed Food Security Act, zero-tolerance policy to terror, 'one-rank one pension' in the armed forces, and Women's Reservation Bill.

Referring to areas in which the BJP would like to caution the Government, Jaitley said the party always believed that Indo-US relation should not be judged on the mere touch stone of the nuclear deal. "There are three tests that this Government is now going to face where our interests conflict with those of the US -- to sign the NPT, the agricultural negotiations at the WTO and the fixation of the carbon emission norms in the climate change and global warming negotiations," he said.

Taking stock of security situation in India's neighbourhood, Jaitley said the growing influence of Taliban in Pakistan, Maoists in Nepal, LTTE in Sri Lanka and HuJI in Bangladesh had direct implications on the country and asked the Government to spell out its plans to "secure our borders" in this context.

He said the President's address had no mention of the racial attacks on Indians in Australia. "This is a little disappointing," Jaitley said, adding that the Opposition would stand by the Government in its endeavour "so that these inhuman and barbaric attacks are not repeated in future".

Referring to the proposed Bill to check communal violence, Jaitley reminded that India has a federal system of governance where law and order is a State subject.

He asked the US to withdraw its travel advisory declaring India an unsafe destination, and pointed out that when the Government forced the BCCI to shift the IPL cricket matches to South Africa, the BJP had cautioned that with this erroneous move will club India with Pakistan as an unsafe destination.

Coming to the ongoing trial of the 26/11 terror attack in Mumbai, the BJP leader said such a sensitive trial was conducted in a "shabby manner". Quoting specific instances, he said the selection of an ineligible prosecutor, sending wrong DNA sample of accused Ajmal Kasab to Pakistan and confusion over the accused's mother coming to India to meet him sent wrong signals to the world community closely following the trial.

Referring to inflation and low economic growth, Jaitley blamed indecisiveness of the Government in the last five years led to this situation. Terming the President's address as the "catalogue" of the UPA Government instead of a vision statement, he said the Government should inform the nation about the measures taken to handle the crisis.

Initiating the debate, Congress member Satyavrat Chaturvedi criticised the BJP for negative criticism of the Government in the last five years. Charging the main Opposition for adopting double standards, he said the NDA criticised the UPA Government when Prime Minister Manmohan Singh flagged off the bus from Srinagar to Muzaffarabad in Pakistan occupied Kashmir(POK), but backed Atal Bihari Vajpayee's Lahore bus trip.

Similarly, the NDA opposed the India-US nuclear deal, but never found fault when the NDA Government initiated the process for this deal, Chaturvedi claimed.

The "swift action" to quell terrorist attacks in Mumbai and the "diplomatic success" in isolating Pakistan were seen by the BJP as examples of being "soft on terrorism" while releasing dreaded terrorists from Indian jails was a "sign of strength," he said.

Chaturvedi said Sethusamudram project was approved during the NDA Government and in 2003 then Shipping Minister Shatrughan Sinha had informed Parliament that funds were approved for the project, but the UPA was accused of insulting Lord Ram for trying to implement it.

Black money stashed abroad was made an election issue by the BJP despite it doing nothing to bring the money back during its six-year rule, he said, adding, the President's address to spelt clearly the UPA Government's intention to bring it back.