Though US President Barack Obama may have decided to skip a visit to Bangalore, partly to avoid any unpleasantness over his stance on outsourcing, the BJP has decided that when he meets the leaders of the Opposition in Delhi, he will be told a few home truths.
BJP president Nitin Gadkari said the party was yet to decide on the exact contours of issues to be raised with the US President. ?We will be meeting at the highest levels of our party to finalise discussion points with the US President,? he said. Sources confirmed that outsourcing would be an important part of the agenda.
Senior party leaders said outsourcing continues to be an important issue for them as well as BJP’s middle class vote bank. ?We have often raised this issue in the past and considering the fact that Bangalore is ruled by a BJP government, we have to give voice to the resentment among Indians over the Obama policy,? said a senior leader. The party is also going through copies of the Bob Woodward’s book Obama’s War and said it is rather alarmed at the prospect of an American withdrawal from Afghanistan in the next 18 months. ?Then what is going to stop a Taliban take over of Afghanistan,? questioned a a senior leader.
Sources also confirmed that the Nuclear Liability Bill and the reservations that the US has on the new supplier liability clauses in the bill have also been discussed in party forums. ?We don’t know if the Americans would be interested in discussing the matter, but we have heard that they are uncomfortable with the present state of the Bill. Since the BJP has been one of the main shapers of the Bill, we have prepared some notes if a discussion is asked for,? said a senior leader.