India, Pakistan and Bangladesh can become federation: Ram Vilas Paswan

New Delhi: The BJP on Sunday downplayed the ‘Akhand Bharat’ remarks of its general secretary Ram Madhav, saying that while he has the right to his own views, the party and the government are clear that India and Pakistan are two sovereign nations.

However, Union minister Ram Vilas Paswan stirred the pot some more by saying he favoured India, Pakistan and Bangladesh becoming a “Mahasanghatan” (federation) with a common currency and open trade.

In New Delhi, responding to a series of questions on the issue, a BJP spokesperson recalled the speech of then Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee in Lahore in 1999 in which he had said that India and Pakistan negotiate as sovereign nations. “And that fact is a fact,” the party spokesperson said.

Asked why an important general secretary made these remarks when the stand of the party and the government were clear, the spokesperson said Mr Madhav “was answering to a particular question... he has a right to his own views. But the government’s position requires no clarification.”

Mr Madhav had said that RSS believes that India, Pakistan and Bangladesh would one day reunite again not by war but through “popular goodwill”.

“The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) still believes that one day these parts, which have for historical reasons separated only 60 years ago, will again, through popular goodwill, come together and Akhand Bharat will be created,” Mr Madhav was quoted as telling the Al Jazeera channel adding, “As an RSS member, I also hold on to that view.”

Union minister Paswan was quoted as telling news agency PTI in Hyderabad, “We cannot say if they (the three countries) can reunite or not; if they reunite, it’s very good thing. At least if they don’t become one nation (again), it can become a ‘mahasanghatan’.

“Bharat, Pakistan and Bangladesh were all in one nation (earlier),” the LJP chief said when asked for his views on Mr Madhav’s remarks.

“These three nations can become a ‘federation’,” Paswan said, mooting the idea of common currency, open trade and lifting of restrictions on movement of people. “This will put an end to terrorism to a large extent,” he added.