Hindutva an opportunistic issue for BJP: WikiLeaks

The Hindutva issue is an ?opportunistic issue? for India?s Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as per its leader Arun Jaitley, according to a latest WikiLeaks cable.

Ensuring embarrassment for the BJP, the cable, accessed by ?The Hindu?, quotes Jaitley, currently Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha, as stating that his party will continue to bank of the Hindutva issue.

A cable by Robert Blake, the Charge at the US Embassy, dated May 6, 2005, states: ?Pressed on the question of Hindutva, Jaitley argued that Hindu nationalism ‘will always be a talking point’ for the BJP. However, he characterized this as an opportunistic issue.?

Jaitley had also pointed that then-improved Indo-Pak relations ?meant that Hindu nationalism is now less resonant in New Delhi, but that could change with another cross-border terrorist attack, for instance on the Indian Parliament?.

?In India?s northeast, for instance, Hindutva plays well because of public anxiety about illegal migration of Muslims from Bangladesh,? the cable adds.

Jaitley had also told Blake that LK Advani would continue to lead the party for another two-three years, after which the next generation would take over.

The BJP leader also referred to the US denial of visa to its Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi and said that the BJP was upset over the matter.

Jaitley has, however, refuted certain phrases ascribed to him in the cable.

In a statement, the BJP leader said: ?The cable reflects my views on cross-border terrorism, illegal infiltration from Bangladesh and the unfair denial of US visa to the Gujarat Chief Minister (Narendra Modi).

?However, the use of the word “opportunistic” in reference to nationalism or Hindu nationalism is neither my view nor my language. It could be the diplomat’s own usage,? he added.