NEW DELHI: A day after China blocked India’s efforts to put Jaish-e-Mohammed founder Masood Azhar on the UN’s global terrorist list, political parties sought to score brownie points with Congress chief Rahul Gandhi alleging Prime Minister Narendra Modi hadn’t said a word against China because he was “scared” of its president Xi Jinping.
The BJP quickly retorted, wondering why Rahul was in a celebratory mood when India was in pain. BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad also asked Rahul why had not reacted when China had blocked a proposal on the same grounds in 2009 when the UPA was in power. Trying to push Congress on the backfoot, Prasad said it was Nehru who helped China become a permanent member of the UN Security Council.
Congress and BJP in war of words over Masood Azhar
A tweet by Rahul Gandhi on China’s decision to block India’s move to declare Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) chief Masood Azhar as a ‘global terrorist’ led to a war of words between the BJP and the Congress.
BJP slammed Congress president Rahul Gandhi over his comments on the government’s foreign policy. Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad lashed out at Rahul and said that foreign policy is a serious subject ‘not determined by tweeting’.
Earlier, Rahul had hit out at PM Narendra Modi labelling him as “weak” over China’s decision to block India’s move to declare Azhar as a ‘global terrorist’.
“Weak Modi is scared of Xi. Not a word comes out of his mouth when China acts against India,” tweeted Rahul after China used the ‘hold’ option to block India’s efforts to rally permanent members of the UNSC.
The BJP’s official handle, tagging Gandhi, tweeted, “China wouldn’t be in UNSC had your great grandfather not ‘gifted’ it to them at India’s cost. India is undoing all mistakes of your family. Be assured that India will win the fight against terror.”
“Leave it to PM Modi while you keep cosying up with the Chinese envoys secretly,” it added.
Subsequently, Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said, “Foreign policy is a sensitive and serious subject. It is not determined by tweeting. He also referred to Shashi Tharoor’s book and attacked Gandhi saying that Jawaharlal Nehru declined US offer to take a permanent seat at UNSC and instead pressed that it be given to China.”
Congress said that PM’s foreign policy has been a series of diplomatic disasters.
“It is a sad day in the global fight against terrorism. China blocking Masood Azhar’s designation as a global terrorist reaffirms Chinese position of being an inseparable ally of terrorism’s breeding ground-Pakistan. Sadly, Modiji’s foreign policy has been a series of diplomatic disasters,” said Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala.
China comes up with clarification
China on Thursday defended its fourth “technical hold” on the designation of Pakistan-based JeM chief Masood Azhar as a global terrorist, saying the move would give it time for a “thorough and in-depth assessment” of the case and help the parties concerned to engage in more talks to find a “lasting solution” acceptable to all