Wikileaks has not only caused problems for the US by exposing its diplomatic cables but has caused consternation and embarrassment in almost all countries.Leaders of a lot of countries have got exposed for their hypocrisy and doublespeak.In fact Wikileaks also contributed to the current unrest in the Middle East by revealing the extravagance and corruption of the ruling regimes in Libya and Egypt.The same script is now being played out in India as well where a leading newspaper the Hindu has partnered with Wikileaks in printing the sordid details related to India.
Wikileaks has caused a storm by revealing that India’s ruling party Congress and its leader had bribed their way to pass a crucial piece of legislation relating to the Indian US Nuclear Deal.The main opposition party the BJP was leading the charge calling for the resignation of the Prime Minister and burning effigies.Now the tide has turned against it with more cables revealing its duplicity in the Nuclear Agreement.According to new Wikileaks,BJP ruling party members Chari and Advani privately said to the US Embassy officials that their opposition to the legislation was just for show and they supported the deal.
“”Chari dismissed the statement (resolution) as standard practice aimed at scoring easy political points against the UPA. BJP spokesman Prakash Javadekar echoed these statements, saying that the BJP was not really upset about the US-India relationship, but merely wanted the Government of India and US government to be more forthcoming about any deal on nuclear policy,” the cable said. ”
With the table turned against them,it will be interesting to see how the opposition parties maintain their “crusade” against corruption of the Indian system when they themselves have been found to be duplicitious.
He concluded that the BJP out of power was more interested in UPA-bashing than in nurturing the U.S.-India relationship. “There is lingering sensitivity among portions of the Indian electorate regarding possible ‘subservience’ to the US, and a nationalist party like the BJP can energize its core membership by asserting Indian independence. BJP leaders do not seem overly concerned about the repercussions of their anti-US rhetoric, convinced that a few well-placed private assurances will mollify the USG.”
Leaders ask U.S. diplomats not to read too much into harsh views expressed in foreign policy resolution.
A December 2005 cable, sent by Deputy Chief of Mission Robert Blake, offers the interesting reading that when it comes to foreign policy and India-U.S. relations, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress are birds of the same feather and the BJP’s rhetoric criticising the United Progressive Alliance’s ‘subservience’ to the United States is “only political rhetoric meant to score points against the UPA.”
The BJP, at its National Executive meeting in Mumbai on December 26 and 27, 2005, criticised the UPA government for adopting a foreign policy that was “subservient” to the U.S. But soon after the party passed this foreign policy resolution, its leaders privately told American diplomats not to read too much into it.
In the cable sent on December 28, 2005 (48692: confidential) Mr. Blake said: “In a private conversation on December 28, BJP National Executive Member Seshadiri Chari urged us ‘not to read too much into the foreign policy resolution, especially the parts relating to the US.’ Chari dismissed the statement as ‘standard practice’ aimed at scoring easy political points against the UPA. BJP spokesman Prakash Javdekar echoed these statements, saying that the BJP was not really upset about the US/India relationship, but merely wanted the GOI [Government of India] and USG [United States Government] to be more forthcoming about any deal on nuclear policy.”
Mr. Blake came up with this analysis of the BJP’s motives and actions: “The regional policy statements are standard BJP boilerplate, but the party adopted a peculiarly harsh view towards US/India relations. BJP insiders assured us privately that the statements were only political rhetoric meant to score points against the UPA. It is not unusual for domestic political considerations to take precedence over foreign policy in India, and the BJP decided there was little risk of negative fallout with the USG.”