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Advani's white paper on ISI activities gathers dust

Tara Shankar Sahay in New Delhi

The government is at its wit's end following staunch opposition from its own allies to the proposal to bring out a white paper on the activities in India of Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence.

"I am given to understand that the white paper was prepared by the previous government [also headed by Atal Bihari Vajpayee] and has been gathering dust for more than a year now," said Janata Dal United politician Devendra Prasad Yadav.

Union Home Minister Lal Kishenchand Advani had initially announced the plan to issue the white paper. He even said so in Parliament. But the report "has been gathering dust for over a year now", Yadav said.

"Maybe a lot of time and money has gone into preparing the white paper. But I understand that its findings cannot be divulged. I have not seen it, but from what I gather, if the white paper is made public it will shatter our secular fabric," he said.

A recent media report said the government had found its white paper too hot to handle and was forced to withhold it as word leaked out to its allies that the document had the potential to cause communal trouble in various parts of the country.

Adhir Chowdhury, Congress MP from Berhampur in West Bengal, said he too had got wind of the government's white paper. "During question hour in the Lok Sabha, I repeatedly sought to know details from the government, but to no avail," he said.

Chowdhury said he was alert to any attempt to play "mischief" with any community or group. "Ours is a multi-religious, multi-ethnic society. We have won the respect of the international community for our secularism. We cannnot tolerate any moves that could rupture communal harmony and lead to a backlash," Chowdhury said.

K Yerran Naidu, leader of the Telegu Desam Party in Parliament, said he too had heard of the white paper, but "we have to see whether it is needed if secular values are eroded by its findings".

He did not think the government would go ahead and make the document public because "the National Democratic Alliance partners have to be taken into confidence on such sensitive issues".

NDA leaders like Mamta Banerjee of the Trinamul Congress and Nara Chandrababu Naidu of the TDP recently warned Prime Minister Vajpayee in the wake of the increase in prices of essential commodities that "you cannot take our support for granted".

These NDA members even agitated against the increase in prices of rice and wheat sold through the public distribution system, forcing the government yesterday to roll it back. Naturally, they are now more determined than ever to safeguard the perceived interests of their voters.

For the BJP leadership, the white paper presents a particularly piquant problem. "It is up to the government to decide what is to be done. So far the white paper has not been brought out. But can any government remain a silent spectator as the ISI wreaks havoc in our country?" said party vice-president Jagdish Prasad Mathur.

Mathur contended that something had to be done about the growing menace as it could divide the people and the country and enable a "hostile neighbour" to cause "death and destruction in India at will".

But Trinamul Congress MP Sudip Bandopadhyay argued that instead of rushing to prepare a white paper, the government should have considered the pros and cons before "making a laughing stock of itself".

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