By: Col. Neerav Bhatnagar
These people attended the Secret Dinner Meeting at Mani Shankar Aiyar’s residence on 6th of December 2017, according to Ex PM Man Mohan Singh (MMS):
1-2: Mr & Mrs Mani Shankar Aiyar
3. Khursid Kasuri
4. M. Hamid Ansari
5. Dr Manmohan Singh
6. K Natwar Singh
7. KS Bajpai
8. Ajai Shukla
9. Sharad Shabharwal
10. Gen Deepak Kapoor
11. TCA Raghavan
12. Sati Lambah
13. Pakistan H.C.
14. MK Bhadrakumar
15. CR Gharekhan
16. Prem Shankar Jha
17. Salman Haider
18. Rahul Khuswant Singh
MMS further adds that the discussion was confined to India-Pakistan relations.
MMS being Ex PM, who held office for 10 consecutive years, must know that GOI needs to be apprised before and after the meeting with foreign dignitaries – particularly when it is with the dignitaries from a hostile country like Pakistan.
The first question that MMS has to answer to this nation is this: Why did he fail to so inform the GOI about this meeting?
This statement from MMS comes only after the meeting became a public knowledge.
Looking at the past conduct and activities of many of the participants in this meeting, MMS has to answer: What was cooking there in the meeting?
Was it the “Modi Hatao” agenda?
MMS’s reply on the controversy of this dinner party at Aiyyar’s place, which was organised in honour of the Pakistan’s Ex Foreign Minister Mr. Kasoori, gives strength to the natural conclusion that MMS, as an Indian political leader, can never be trusted by this nation.
MMS says: Gujarat was not discussed in this meeting and, in addition he poses a counter question: Let PM Modi reply to the Nation – Why did he go to Pakistan and must apologies for this?
Is it not a nonsense question? Even a simpleton can visualise the justification of PM Modi’s Pakistan visit. I have the following to say on PM Modi’s Pakistan visit and on the counter question of MMS:
One: PM Modi’s visit to Pakistan was covered Live on TV right up-to the living room of Pakistan’s Prime Minister Nawaz Shariff and in view of this open coverage by the media, there was hardly anything secret that was discussed between the two Prime Ministers. However MMS’s meeting with Mr. Kasoori was neither covered Live on TV nor was the Govt of India kept informed of what transpired between these leaders of the two countries. It had got exposed simply because a BJP politician came to know about it.
Two: Obviously, MMS has to do lot of explaining to the Indian public as to why he, as an ex PM, attended a meeting with the Pak diplomats and other Pak army officials; what had transpired among them there; and what was discussed between them. If it was an innocent and justified meeting with a hostile country, why was he compelled to explain his awkward position? PM Modi never needed to explain the justification of his Pakistan visit and meeting there with that country’s leader. This shows the difference of justification or otherwise between the two meetings by two leaders: one by the present PM and another by the Ex-PM.
Three: As regards MMS’s integrity, the least said the better. When scams worth thousands of crores were taking place directly under his nose, he never bothered to take a stand against them; he rather preferred to turn a blind eye to them. The huge scam of allocation of Coal mines took place when he himself was the Coal Minister. Yes, he has not been punished by the court of law for his conduct; probably the poor Secretary of the Coal Ministry has been made the scape goat or possibly MMS deliberately kept himself out of everything. The question is: How can such a person be entrusted with the responsibility of the highest office of this nation?
Four: The recent revelation is that Gen Deepak Kapoor was accused in the Kargil Housing scam and he was also present in that dinner party, and in view of this the issue becomes all the more important: What were such tainted Army official(s) doing in that meeting? Gen Deepak Kapoor says that the issues discussed were related to India-Pak relations, Terrorism, Hafiz Sayeed etc.!!!
(Poser: “Discussed Terrorism, Hafiz Sayeed (!!!?)” No Indian would ever believe that in such a secret meeting these Indian leaders would tell the Pakistani political leaders present there to hand over an internationally declared terrorist Hafiz Sayeed to India; after all, what else can be discussed “about” an internally declared terrorist Hafiz Sayeed except telling the Pakistani leaders present in the meeting to hand him over to India to stand trial in a court of law! If – and if – there, in this meeting, the agenda discussed was “Modi Hatao”, a pet and well-known agenda of Mani Shankar Iyyar, then there are innumerable likely things discussed there, which all are scary to the interests of India.)
Five: Yes, people are entitled in a democratic country to meet anyone and discuss anything under the sky. But Mr. Kasoori is the Senior Adviser on the Political and International Affairs Committee; the Chairman of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s Task Force on Kashmir; and a member of the Core Committee of that Party. In view of these facts, it becomes necessary and important for Indian people to know: What transpired in the meeting? It is natural to suspect that this meeting had something to do with an agenda against the interests of India!
Six: In view of what the Congress leaders have been resorting to since Sri Modi became the PM – like Mani Shankar Aiyyar requesting Pakistan to remove Modi, Rahul meeting the Chinese Ambassador at the peak of Doklam stand-off to know from the Chinese officials what was the dispute about etc. – it is but natural for this nation to ask MMS the following questions:
- What was discussed in the meeting?
- What were they – he, Mani Shankar Iyyar and the ex-Army Chief – doing there?
A Hindi proverb aptly describes the MMS’s Behaviour:
CHORI AUR SEENA ZORI!