Obama’s speech has removed apprehensions: BJP

NEW DELHI - The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Monday expressed satisfaction over US President Barack Obama’s speech to parliamentarians, saying it had “removed apprehensions”.

“We feel that in his speech in parliament by clearly naming Pakistan and appealing to it to bring the perpetrators (of the Mumbai attack) to justice, he had addressed the overwhelming Indian feeling,” BJP spokesperson Nirmala Sitharaman told IANS.

She said an impression should not be allowed to be gathered that India is being treated only as a market and Pakistan as an ally.

Sitharaman said Obama had mentioned that terror camps in Pakistan will have to be brought to an end and the country will have to bring to book the perpetrators of Mumbai attack. She said the US President had also mentioned a permanent seat for India in the UN Security Council in the future.

“The apprehensions in our mind have been removed. It is now for the US to walk the talk,” she said.

Sitharaman said Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj had brought up five issues during her meeting with Obama Monday including the point that people of India will be more appreciative if the US was clear in identifying the perpetrators of Mumbai attack.

Contending that the close relationship with the US that has evolved over the years was due to the initiatives taken by the National Democratic Alliance government, she said that it was during the premiership of Atal Behari Vajpayee that the strategic dialogue with the US commenced.

Sithraman’s comments came two days after BJP spokesperson Rajiv Pratap Rudy expressed disappointment over Obama’s speech at the Taj Hotel in Mumbai for not naming Pakistan in the context of the 26/11 attack.

Some BJP leaders felt that Rudy had spoken out of turn. The party later decided not to give further reactions on Obama’s visit till his address to MP.

Senior party leader Jaswant Singh Monday welcomed Obama’s words about India’s bid for a security council seat.

He said Obamas’ speech was a “powerful endorsement” for India’s bid for the seat.

Singh, a former external affairs minister, said it was “long overdue and expected”.