Chidambaram rises above party politics on Kandahar hijack issue

New Delhi: Breaking ranks with his party colleagues, home minister P Chidambaram described the NDA government’s decision to release three terrorists in exchange for hostages in the Kandahar hijack 10 years ago as a “very difficult decision.” The minister clearly seemed to disapprove of the tendency to score political brownie points over such issues.
“I do not know how I would have reacted if 150 families came to my door and pleaded that their loved ones in that aircraft must be saved. It is easy to criticise but if one is in that position, it is a very difficult decision,“ the Union minister said while addressing a function in the capital.
Mr Chidambaram’s acknowledgement of the difficult nature of the decision taken by the Vajpayee government cannot but be matter of relief for the BJP. The Congress has consistently used the Kandahar episode as a handy retort whenever it has come under attack from the BJP on its record on dealing with terrorism.
In the aftermath of the November Mumbai attack, senior Congress leader Digvijay Singh had said that unlike the BJP which gave into the demands of terrorists, the Congress had eliminated the terrorists.
Over the last decade, the BJP has been criticised for its decision to release terrorists in lieu of the safe return of the passengers a'nd crew of the hijacked Indian Airlines craft.
23/01/09 Economic Times

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Categories: Air India Domestic Jan 2009, Foreign Jan 2009, NACIL Jan 2009, Safety Jan 2009