Cong’s remarks shameful, will give boost to anti-nationals: BJP
7 Jan 2016 4:23 AM IST
BJP on Tuesday lashed out at Congress for criticising government over Pathakot attack, saying its “shameful” statements will boost the morale of people with “anti-national mindset”, but the ruling party parried queries on castigation from ally Shiv Sena.
Union Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi alleged that Congress chose to question those who are fighting to eliminate terrorism and not the actions of terrorists. “For the last few days Congress has been speaking in this voice. But it has crossed all limits today. At a time when it should keep in mind the sentiments of people, it is questioning the martyrdom of our personnel.”
“What is unfortunate is that Congress is trying to mislead the country and create confusion on such a sensitive issue and it in a way boosts the morale of people with anti-national mindset. What it has said is shameful and untrue. Such statements show its irresponsible behaviour on the matter of national security,” he told a press conference.
Naqvi said that the whole country was speaking in one voice on the issue.
On Congress’ demand that the government share the outcomes of its engagements with Pakistan, Naqvi retorted that External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj had made a statement in Parliament about this but Congress “was then busy disrupting it to protect the corruption of one family”, a dig at the Gandhi family.
Swaraj, he noted, had made a statement in both the Houses on December 14 last in which she spoke at length about recent developments relating to ties between India and Pakistan.
“It has answers to all the questions asked by Congress,” Naqvi said, waving Swaraj’s statement. Stepping up attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his government’s handling of Pakistan affairs in the wake of Pathankot attack, Congress today said he believes in optics and asked the government to share outcomes of its engagement with the neighbour.
BJP’s ally Shiv Sena too took on the government on the issue, saying it had warned Modi not to trust Pakistan and that time has now come for him to focus on India rather than trying to unite the world.
Cong questions PM’s Pak policy, says it’s ‘optics over outcome’
Accusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi of reversing foreign policy from “outcomes to optics”, Congress on Tuesday stepped up attack over government’s handling of ties with Pakistan in the wake of the Pathankot terror attack which came within days of his Lahore visit.
Party spokesperson and Deputy Leader of Congress Parliamentary in Rajya Sabha Anand Sharma asked as to what assurances the Prime Minister received from Pakistan to prompt his “surprise trip” to Lahore on December 25. Dismissing PM’s visit as a “dramatic gesture”, Sharma, who is also former Minister of State of External Affairs, said, “UPA government and its then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh preferred outcomes over optics. Now this has been reversed by optics coming first. Optics have taken place in Lahore”.
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