Former Karnataka CM SM Krishna, who took charge as foreign minister on Monday, has his hands full as he comes in at a time when India’s neighbourhood is disturbed.
Former Karnataka CM SM Krishna, who took charge as foreign minister on Monday, has his hands full as he comes in at a time when India’s neighbourhood is disturbed.
He got a taste of what is to come on his very first day as he grappled with the fallout of the Vienna shootings, the nuclear test by North Korea, a troubled Nepal and a volatile Pakistan.
Krishna was received by foreign secretary Shiv Shankar Menon and secretary (West) Nalin Suri at South Block. When the new minister spoke to reporters on Saturday, he emphasised on India’s independent non-aligned foreign policy and said he was keen to visit neighbouring countries as soon as possible.
Krishna was a surprise choice for the foreign ministry, having been mostly in regional politics, though he had a stint in Delhi in the eighties as minister of state for industries and later as junior minister for finance. His last major assignment was governor of Maharashtra, from December 2004 to March 2008.
In a brief interaction with reporters, Krishna was asked about the shooting at a gurdwara in Vienna, the Austrian capital where two Sikh sects clashed. The minister said the news was “disturbing” and that the government would ensure that the perpetrators of the “completely mindless” and “wanton act” of violence are brought to justice. India has already asked the Austrian authorities to provide details.
Krishna said there could be “no excuse whatsoever for violation of the sanctity of the scared premises of the gurdwara to subserve narrow sectarian interests and other purposes”.
About North Korea’s nuclear test, he said India was deeply concerned as it was a threat to the entire region.
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