Row over Antony remark

BJP MPs corner govt on defence minister&’s statementin Lower House
STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE
New Delhi, 7 August
The Manmohan Singh government was visibly on the back foot today after the Opposition BJP cornered the ruling dispensation in Parliament over the alleged deliberate ‘goof up’ in Defence Minister A K Antony’s statement on the killings of 5 Indian soldiers along the Pakistan border. 
 “What the defence minister has said amounts to exonerating Pakistan,” BJP patriarch L K Advani said, leading the Opposition party’s charge. He also spoke to Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kamal Nath in the morning and sounded his party’s displeasure.
“It was like taking the Pakistan government line and showing disrespect to our martyrs,” another BJP leader said and demanded  that Dr Singh should cancel his proposed summit meeting with his Pakistan counterpart Nawaz Sharif in New York on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly meet in September.
The BJP has alleged that the Defence Minister amended the Army statement on the killings and diluted it. In Bihar, the kith and kin of the soldiers attacked the government for pursuing a policy of peace talks despite Pakistan attacking Indian jawans. Even as the political storm over the Defence Minister’s statement on the LoC killings paralysed both Houses of Parliament, this evening top BJP leaders led by party chief Mr Rajnath Singh conveyed their “unhappiness” during a meeting with the Prime Minister. They said the BJP was not in a mood to let Mr Antony off the hook. The party may now demand the Defence Minister’s resignation, sources said.
 Before his meeting with the BJP leaders Mr Antony briefed Dr Singh on the situation along the Line of Control (LoC).
A BJP leader said, “We made it clear that terror and talks cannot go hand in hand and the Prime Minister (Manmohan Singh) should cancel his proposed meeting with Pakistani PM Nawaz Sharif in September.”  However, PMO sources said the meeting with BJP leaders Rajnath Singh, Sushma Swaraj and Arun Jaitley, was fixed earlier to discuss Bangladesh related issues.
Both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha saw repeated adjournments before being finally adjourned for the day in the afternoon without transacting major business barring the introduction of the  Food Security Bill in the Lower House.
Mr Antony, who has been under fire since yesterday for giving the benefit of doubt to Pakistani authorities and army by saying that “terrorists along with persons dressed in Pakistan Army uniforms” were responsible for the killings, told the Rajya Sabha today that his statement was based on “whatever information” he had.
“The Army chief is making an on the spot visit and I will come back to you,” he said. At this, BJP deputy leader in Rajya Sabha, Ravi Shankar Prasad said the minister was admitting that he was not sure of what he was saying. In the Lok Sabha, in the absence of the Defence minister, Mrs Sushma Swaraj said, “I demand the defence minister turn up and apologise.

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