I keep reading news stories about the Congress attacking the BJP for exchanging terrorists when a flight was hijacked by terrorists to Kandahar.
No one (e.g.: the news channels) however, seems to be asking a question back to Congress about the terrorist release tap opened in 1989 by Mufti Mohd. Saeed for ensuring release of his kidnapped daughter Rubaiah.
When the Indian Airlines Flight was hijacked to Kandahar there was a hostage crisis (which seems to be totally forgotten). The BJP Government was acting stern on the terrorists involved but also had to assuage the feelings of the relatives of the people taken hostage inside the flight.
In fact, a honeymoon couple (Rupin & Rachna Katyal) got caught as hostage in the flight and the husband was mercilessly killed by the terrorists. (Read that story below)
‘Where is he? Why isn’t he here to see me…’
Source: http://www.rediff.com/news/2000/jan/01rachna.htm
Rachna Katyal hasn’t taken off the red-and-white bangles, the quintessential mark of a bride. A bride never takes off her bangles — they are supposed to wear off, to be replaced by new ones. But not so for Rachna, who sleeps under heavy sedation at the Katyal residence in Gurgaon.
Rachna, Rupin Katyal’s bride of 23 days, returned home a widow after her honeymoon in Kathmandu. There is no rationale to her destiny. The Katyals can’t see rationale in anything for that matter. Rachna’s uncle stands guard at the house warding off nosy newspersons and cameramen. Says Rupin’s grandfather Mulk Raj Katyal, “Leave her alone. She is under sedation. Please don’t ask her questions.”
Sorrow seems to have given way to stoic hostility. There are few visitors otherwise. The streets lay deserted — almost like making it’s own statement. Rachna’s brother strolls into the porch. “She is sleeping,” he clarifies. She has been sleeping ever since she returned home last night after the ordeal on board the hijacked IC 814. Doctors have been sedating her as she has still not accepted reality — the reality that Rupin was no more, that he had been murdered by the hijackers.
Says her uncle, “We broke the news after she reached home last night. I think she already had her suspicions. She kept saying, ‘where is he? Why isn’t he here to see me.’ ” There was little that the family could tell her. Says Rupin’s father C M Katyal, “We told her about Rupin after she reached home. We had a doctor here as we did not know how she would react. The doctor sedated her and ever since she has been sleeping.”
He seems to have accepted reality, and now wants his daughter-in-law to get over the tragedy before it can do her further damage. Says Dr Anita Joshi, one of the passengers on board, “Even on board Rachna kept asking for her husband. But nobody told her what had happened. The hijackers told her that he was among the passengers who were released on December 25 in Dubai, and that had they (the hijackers) known that she was his wife they would let her go too.” In fact, Dr Joshi had tried to treat Rupin after his throat was slit.
“Though at that moment, I did not know who he was, I knew there was little chance of him surviving,” she added. Rachna’s family has not spoken to her about the incident or about her experience on board. Says Mulk Raj Katyal, “The doctor has advised us to let her relax and help her face reality. I don’t think doing a post-mortem of the entire episode is going to help her now. Let her sleep, and wake up when she is up to it.”
The BJP government had to go all out to save the hostages. At least the BJP Government released terrorists to save the general public caught as hostages. What Mr. Saeed did was to save his daughter! Is there two different yard stick for general public and a VIP politician? Read the below report of the Congress President’s speech in a public meeting.
Why did Advani not resign over Kandahar: Sonia
Raipur (IANS): Turning the heat on Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) prime ministerial candidate L.K. Advani once again, Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday asked why he had not resigned as home minister over the Kandahar plane hijack episode in 1999.
“I want to ask Advaniji if such a big conspiracy was hatched, with terrorists being taken to Kadahar by his government without his knowledge, then why did he not resign when he came to know about the truth later?” she said addressing a public rally at Bilaspur, 100 km from here.
Ms. Gandhi was reacting to a previous statement by Mr. Advani that he was unaware of the then National Democratic Alliance government’s decision to release terrorists in exchange for Indian hostages in 1999. Mr. Advani was home minister at that time.
“What he is saying is correct? Or was something else? You have to think over the issue while making up your mind for voting,” the Congress leader remarked.
Ms. Sonia Gandhi said only the Congress could give a stable, strong, able leadership and honest government and this could happen only under Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
Renu Jogi, wife of former Chhattisgarh chief minister Ajit Jogi, is the Congress candidate from Bilaspur.
Ms. Sonia Gandhi went to Bilaspur after addressing a gathering in Kanker constituency. There she accused the state’s BJP government of neglecting the development of Chhattisgarh.
“The state lacks development because of the lack of will for development among those who are ruling the state,” Ms. Gandhi said, while recounting development schemes like the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme and the midday meal plan undertaken by the Congress-led government in New Delhi.
“We have taken the country on the road to development. The growth rate under the Congress led government has been historic,” she told a massive gathering on the last day of campaigning before elections for Chhattisgarh’s 11 Lok Sabha seats on April 16.
Will the Congress speak in the same tone as it does now if a Congress Minister was kept as hostage in that flight? Will they not release terrorists if the hostages included prominent politicians? How different are innocent public taken as hostages? It is utterly disappointing that Kandahar terrorist release to save life of people is being politicized by Mrs. Sonia Gandhi.
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Apr 16, 2009 at 23:08:29
It is pathetic that, Congress dominates everything because of facts like its money power, media support, arrogant violation of law and top of all public support. Majority of the Indian Public do not know what we are discussing. This is known clearly to Congress as a whole and Karunanidhi type of politicians, so they dont worry about the comments of educated people, rather they will be laughing at us as jokers.