New Delhi, Sep 25 (IANS) Responding sharply to Sonia Gandhi’s criticism of the Modi government’s “muted” stance on the Palestine issue, Janata Dal-United leader K.C. Tyagi on Thursday reminded her that it was during the Congress regime, under Prime Minister Narasimha Rao, that India recognised Israel.

Speaking to IANS, Tyagi said: “Sonia Gandhi forgets that Israel was recognised during the tenure of Narasimha Rao, under Congress rule. The Indian government has recently reiterated at the United Nations that it supports the two-nation theory, recognising both Israel and Palestine as separate nations.”

The JD-U leader further commented on the BJP’s allegations that Congress was involved in recent incidents of violence in Leh, including the burning of police vehicles during protests.

“We are against any kind of violence. However, the central and local governments must engage in dialogue with the protestors and ensure better facilities are provided to the people of Leh,” Tyagi told IANS.

On the recent remark by Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Anil Chauhan, who called the Nehru-era decision not to deploy the Indian Air Force during the 1962 war with China a “blunder”, Tyagi said: “I don’t know what the exact circumstances were at that time, or whether our air power was strong enough. It’s a matter of historical context and should be evaluated carefully.”

Tyagi also reacted to the 10-point resolution released by leaders of the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) bloc on Wednesday, which promises several welfare measures for the Extremely Backward Classes (EBCs) if the alliance is voted to power in Bihar.

“The government led by Nitish Kumar and earlier by our leader Karpoori Thakur has already implemented significant measures for backward classes, most backward classes, minorities, and Dalits. Rahul Gandhi, while reading the INDIA bloc’s manifesto, seemed unaware that we’ve already provided sub-categorised reservations, removed the 50 per cent cap, formed a separate commission for the most backward classes, and increased their reservation to 65 per cent. Such promises won’t carry weight in Bihar,” Tyagi told IANS.

The INDIA bloc’s resolution, read out by the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, also proposes increasing EBC reservation in panchayat and municipal bodies from 20 per cent to 30 per cent, raising the overall reservation cap to 50 per cent, and providing land to landless SC, ST, OBC, and EBC families. It also advocates enforcing Article 15(5) for admissions in private institutions and reserving 50 per cent of government contracts worth up to Rs 25 crore for SCs, STs, OBCs, and EBCs. A high-powered regulatory authority is also proposed to oversee the implementation of these reservations.

–IANS

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