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Parliament will decide on autonomy: Advani

Amberish K Diwanji in New Delhi

Home Minister Lal Krishna Advani today refused to be drawn into the controversy surrounding the Jammu and Kashmir assembly's adoption of the State Autonomy Committee report, saying it was for Parliament to take a decision.

"The resolution in the Jammu and Kashmir assembly has been passed, but they will have to send it to Parliament, which will then decide what action needs to be taken," he said.

He, however, pointed out that the composition of Parliament was no secret and that the viewpoint of various political parties on the demand for autonomy was well known.

Asked what was his and his government's view on the demand, Advani said the government would apply its mind only after reading the report.

"My view is the same as the government and we will hold a meeting after the prime minister returns," he said.

Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee is currently on a visit to Rome and Lisbon. He is expected back on July 3.

The home minister added that despite the resolution being passed in the face of opposition from the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Central government, he saw no reason for the National Conference to quit the government.

The National Conference is a partner in the National Democratic Alliance, which rules at the Centre.

However, Advani also said that his party supported the case of greater devolution of powers to the states. "If you read the BJP manifesto, it is clearly said that in India there is an over-centralisation of power and that more powers need to be given to the states," the former BJP president said.

On the recent attacks on Christians, Advani said that his ministry was summoning a meeting of all the state chief secretaries, home secretaries and director generals of police in August this year to discuss the issue.

The home minister insisted that it was his government's mission to ensure the safety of each and every Indian, including the Muslims and Christians.

"This government is committed to protecting the minorities," he reiterated.

Asked whether he saw a sinister plot by Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence in the attacks on Christians, the minister did not rule out the possibility, but added that attacks on Christians were an internal-security problem. .

"The states are not equipped to handle matters of internal security on their own and need central assistance. Also, such issues call for a holistic approach rather than being seen as a mere robbery or murder or dacoity," the home minister said.

Advani also spoke about his recent visits to Israel, France and the United Kingdom, his first visit abroad since becoming home minister in 1998.

The home minister was clearly impressed by his tour of Israel. "Even though peace talks are on between Israel and its neighbours, they have not let their guard down," he said.

Asked whether his visit to Israel, which follows the visit of Defence Minister George Fernandes and precedes the visit by External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh showed a strategic alliance being formed, he replied in the negative.

"My visit was only a continuation of the two countries getting closer. Ever since 1992, when full diplomatic relations were established with Israel, our ties have been growing and this visit is a part of that process," he reiterated.

He said his visit had been successful in terms of forging an international alliance with different countries to fight cross-border terrorism and said that on the anvil was the setting up of joint working groups for the task.

"We already have one joint working group with the United States exclusively devoted to fighting international terrorism. Our endeavour is to have such JWGs with more countries and details of a JWG with Israel are being worked out," said Advani.

He said all the countries he visited condemned cross-border terrorism.

"My tour was the second prong of the two-pronged fight against terrorism. It comprises of garnering international support against countries supporting cross-border terrorism and fighting the terrorists within the country," the home minister said.

Advani added that on both counts, the government was achieving success in its efforts.

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