Vajpayee comes within ambit of Parrikar's 'compromise' charge: Congress MP

Former prime minister Atal Behari Vajpayee comes within the ambit of Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar's charge that some former PMs had compromised "deep assets of national security", Goa's lone Rajya Sabha MP Shantaram Naik of the Congress said here Saturday.

In a statement, Naik also said that Parrikar's statement had "embarrassed all ex-prime ministers and has made a mockery of our national security".

"Since Parrikar has not revealed the names ex-PMs, it obviously includes the name of Atal Bihari Vajpayee, and therefore, since Parrikar has already committed a blunder, he has now to find an escape route at least to save the face of his own party and avoid the ire of his own party," the statement said.

Vajpayee, one of Bharatiya Janata Party's tallest leaders, headed the National Democratic Alliance government and was prime minister from 1998 to 2004. He is no longer in public life due to his ill-health over the years.

"You have to build deep assets. Deep assets are created over 20-30 years. Sadly, there were some prime ministers who compromised deep assets," Parrikar had said.

The defence minister while speaking at a function in Mumbai Friday had also said that he would not disclose names of the PMs who compromised national security.

Naik now claims that the former Goa chief minister's statement had not only embarrassed all former PMs, but also proved that Parrikar was not "fit to handle a sensitive portfolio like the defence".

"Parrikar by refusing to disclose any names, has embarrassed all ex-prime ministers and, has made a mockery of our national security , while at the same time , playing into the hands our enemies," Naik said.