New Delhi, Sept 4 :The Indian Express on Sunday published a report based on WikiLeaks revealing Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's views on sharing India's development models with other countries.
According to the report, Rahul Gandhi told US ambassador Timothy Roemer that NREGA (National Rural Employment Guarantee) could be a model for development in Afghanistan.Rahul Gandhi also said that the Naxal problem is due to a “political disconnect”. He also said how Assam could be a model for reconciliation in Palestine.
The report says, the leaked US diplomatic cables provide a rare insight into the foreign policy and developmental interests of Rahul Gandhi.
While his views on right wing extremism and rejuvenating politics in India were brought out in earlier cables, the latest batch of leaked diplomatic correspondence documents his interest in foreign affairs and keenness to share the Indian model of development with the world.
In a rare one-on-one meeting with then US Ambassador Timothy Roemer in November 2009, Rahul Gandhi concurred that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and US President Barack Obama should discuss Afghanistan, Pakistan and strategic bilateral relations.Touching on NREGS, he told Roemer that while it has been an overall success, the scheme had been implemented unevenly.
Taking pride in the social sector scheme, Rahul Gandhi told the envoy that India had lessons to offer to other countries on development, specifically naming Afghanistan.
“Gandhi noted that he was drafting a letter to Secretary (Hillary) Clinton offering views on developments in Afghanistan. He said he would focus on India's own development experience with programs like NREGS,” the cable stated.Rahul also shared his opinion on the Naxal challenge and admitted that the government's development efforts were facing implementation problems.
“Turning to the threat of Naxalite violence, Gandhi said that the underlying cause of the violence was a ‘political disconnect' between the poor and land owners,” said the cable, adding that Rahul admitted to implementation problems in schemes like NREGS in affected areas.
In another meeting with senior US Congressman Joseph Crowley in February 2006, Rahul shared his views on the Palestine problem and the US invasion of Iraq. On Palestine, Rahul told Crowley that the India strategy in battling insurgent groups in Assam could serve as an example for a resolution.
“The Indian strategy, he pointed out, was to allow the insurgent group to form the Assam government. This ‘defanged and discredited' the insurgency, as the insurgents proved unable to govern and lost popular support,” the cable quoted Rahul as saying. “He (Rahul) envisaged that a similar outcome was possible in the occupied territories,” it added.
Obviously, Rahul Gandhi was referring to his father Rajiv Gande hi's Assam Accord with the All Assam Students Union which led to the birth of Asom Gana Parishad which came to power but could not deliver as most of the senior AGP leaders were discredited in the eyes of the people.
On Israel, Rahul Gandhi chose to keep his thoughts to himself but termed suggestions for formal recognition of Israel by Bangladesh as “interesting ideas” but “volatile issues” for the Indian government.
On Iraq, he told Crowley that he had done a lot of reading and was of the opinion that if the US leaves the country, it would be seen as being driven out of the country.
“Asking Congressman Crowley if an American pullout was feasible, Gandhi opined that even if the US declares victory and goes home, it will be similar to what happened in Lebanon. The Israelis tried the same tactic and Hezbollah declared to the world that it had driven Israel out. Gandhi predicted that US opponents in Iraq would likely do the same thing,” said the cable.
Rahul also said that by becoming involved in Iraq, the US had “taken on a complex Iraqi problem of deep ethnic and religious divisions and simply turned it into an American problem.”
