Jaswant's call of honour: We must not kowtow US

NEW DELHI: The leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, Jaswant Singh, has stirred a hornet's nest with his new book, "A Call to Honour".

He spoke to DNA on Monday about the ongoing controversy over the so-called mole in former Prime Minister PV Narasimha Rao's PMO and various turbulent events during the NDA's six years in government.

Q. Why have you chosen to talk about the presence of an American mole in Narasimha Rao's PMO now, after all these years?

A. I have mentioned the context in my book. It has to do with the charge levelled against India, when my dear friend Madeline Albright (Clinton's Secretary of State) told me in a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of ASEAN (soon after the NDA government conducted a nuclear test), "Jaswant, you lied to us.''

It was wrong of the US to say that it was not aware of the progress of India's nuclear plans. The excerpt I have quoted makes it clear that the Americans knew what was going on. They also knew, as they admitted, that the BJP was committed to testing.

Q. If you knew that someone was passing on nuclear secrets to the US, why did the NDA government not take action against that person or order an investigation when it assumed office?

A. In my judgment, it served no national interest. The people concerned were no longer on the scene. The purpose of the NDA government was to conduct a nuclear test. That was achieved by us.

We saw no purpose in pursuing the politics of vendetta. It is not unusual for countries to wish to find out what is happening in the country to which they assign their people. The US is doing it today.

Just the other day, a US embassy official was asked to leave because of this. It is a given of international conduct. I don't condone it. But there is no condemnation of the previous government.

Q. There is some disquiet in the BJP over the timing of the book and the revelations you have made about the Kargil War, the Kandahaar hijacking episode and so on. Comment.

A. The author writes and hands over the manuscript to the publisher. It's like giving birth to a child. It comes from inside you and then you have to trust the publisher with your creation. The date of release is determined by the publisher. Who had any idea that my book would be preceded by the Mumbai blasts?

Q. You seem to be in agreement with LK Advani on Jinnah. Why have you repeated something that burnt him and the party?

A. I don't agree that Mr Advani or the BJP were burnt. What I have said about Jinnah are facts. Mohd Ali Jinnah started his political life as an ardent Congressman and he remained a committed Congressman till 1936. In his personal life, his habits can hardly be called shining examples of a person committed to Islam.

But as a person who gave a call for a separate Islamic state and talked of the two-nation theory, how can you term that secular? Look, it's a book. You can't take one word or one sentence out of context. Please read what I have written in its entirety.

Q. You were one of the chief architects of the rapprochement between India and the US, which led to the Next Steps in Strategic Partnership and ultimately, the nuclear deal. Yet, today, you and your party are critical of the deal. Why have you changed your position?

A. There is no change. We are cautioning the country and the government. We must continue the strategic partnership but we must not make ourselves subservient to US interests. The nuclear deal is questionable in its details, which defeat the original purpose. We have serious fears that India is in danger of losing our strategic autonomy (if the deal goes through in its current form). We must preserve this autonomy at all costs.