Modi slams Centre on weak internal security

The Bharatiya Janata Party fielded party strongman Narendra Modi to make a scathing attack on the central government on Thursday over its handling of internal security and accused it of failing to take the party into confidence on issues like talks with Pakistan and Sino-India ties.

Modi, who had only last week praised Home Minister P Chidambaram, attacked the government's policy on internal security, claiming it had several flaws in the handling of challenges.

"Terrorists practice firing three times in a day, while the central government has sent an advisory that (security) forces should practice once in three years as the cost incurred for training is too high. I am ready to provide the money but I have not got any response from the Centre," Modi said, while supporting a party resolution on internal security at the BJP National Council Meet here.

The firebrand leader directed his tirade entirely against the Congress-led government at the Centre.

"The central government maintains that India is a mature democracy but though it has time to talk to Pakistan it has no time to take the main opposition into confidence. What kind of mature democracy is this," he asked.

Asserting that strategic decisions were being taken under US pressure, Modi said, "Whenever a strategic decision has to be taken a US diplomat visits India. Are strategic decisions being taken under Washington's pressure? Problems are not due to policies but due to their (Congress) intentions. Party's interest is overshadowing country's interest."

Internal security featured in the presidential address of BJP chief Nitin Gadkari too earlier in the day.

Gadkari attacked the government for its failure to adopt a common national approach to strategic issues like holding consultations with the opposition.

Demanding that the government hold appropriate consultation with the opposition on the Sino-India relations issue, he said the BJP believes that China will appreciate the fact that 2010 is not 1962.

Gadkari mentioned the Chinese incursions into Indian territory in Arunachal Pradesh and said Beijing's claims were "totally untenable and unacceptable".

The BJP resolution on internal security, moved by leader of opposition in the Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley, slams the government on its policy on Jammu and Kashmir and warned, without naming Article 370, that too much power is being given to the state.

"A deceptive solution of vesting the state with more power by removing it from the central list is being championed as a possible solution," the resolution states.

Jaitley also drew attention to the recent report of a working group on the relationship of Jammu and Kashmir with India.

"The chairman of the working group has not been seen in public commenting on the report giving rise to the speculation that the report is ghost written by the government itself," he said.