NEW DELHI, Aug 12: India’s main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Saturday urged Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s government to “attack Pakistan and Bangladesh” to dismantle alleged terrorist camps.
“I demand that after taking the international community into confidence, India attack Pakistan to dismantle terrorist centres,” BJP President Rajnath Singh was quoted by Press Trust of India as telling reporters in the western port city of Panaji.
“Not only Pakistan but Bangladesh should also be attacked where terrorist centres are operating,” he added.
Refusing to name the ‘international community’ he had in mind, Mr Singh said international support should be garnered before such attacks.
On the contrary, former foreign minister Jaswant Singh, the BJP’s chief leader in the Rajya Sabha, had pointedly rejected the idea of ‘hot pursuit’ against Pakistan in response to the Mumbai tragedy.
The BJP president’s comments came as India stepped up security across the country ahead of Independence Day after intelligence inputs indicated terrorist plans to disrupt the celebrations.
