Cable rebound on Jaitley over Hindutva

NEW DELHI: After L K Advani's assurances to the US that the nuclear deal will not be renegotiated, BJP was hit by a fresh gust of WikiLeaks revelations about leader of opposition in Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley describing Hindu nationalism as an "opportunistic issue".

In cables dating May, 2005, a US diplomat said, "Pressed on the question of Hindutva, Jaitley argued that Hindu nationalism 'will always be a talking point' for the BJP. However, he characterized this as an opportunistic issue."

Jaitley denied use of the word "opportunistic", but Congress was quick to seize on the cable to get back at the senior BJP leader. "The use of the word "opportunistic" in reference to Hindu nationalism is neither my view nor my language. It could be the diplomat's own usage," he said.

Congress spokesperson Abhisekh Singhvi promptly countered that, "Chickens are coming to roost. People living in glass houses ought to know they should not throw stones."

Although the cable as reported in the media does not have a direct quote of Jaitley terming BJP's Hindutva plank as opportunistic, BJP found itself in an embarrassing position as the party has mounted a severe attack on PM Manmohan Singh claiming that the contents of the cables were genuine.

Having demanded that the government explain references in a WikiLeaks cable about an aide of Congress MP and Gandhi family loyalist Satish Sharma showing cases of money meant to bribe MPs ahead of UPA-I's July, 2009 trust vote, BJP finds it difficult to shrug off uncomfortable references to its leaders.

This is the second time that BJP has suffered a blow back on WikiLeaks. Advani's frank comment — just a day before the May 2009 election result — that contrary to the party's public position, the India-US nuclear deal would not be renegotiated if the national democratic alliance came to power was useful for the Congress while debating the Satish Sharma cable.

The cable elaborates that Jaitley sees Hindutva as an issue that waxes and wanes in keeping with current political situations. He explains that "in India's north-east, for instance, Hindutva plays well because of public anxiety about illegal migration of Muslims from Bangladesh." But he says improved Indo-Pak ties makes it less potent elsewhere.

"With the recent improvement of India-Pak relations, Jaitley added, Hindu nationalism is now less resonant in Delhi, but that could change with another cross-border terrorist attack," the cable said.