NEW DELHI: Questioning Pakistan’s Foreign Affairs Advisor Sartaj Aziz’ presence in Amritsar for the ‘Heart of Asia’ conference, Congress leader Manish Tewari on Sunday took a jibe at the Centre and asked whether the former has been called to feed biriyani.
“The fundamental question is what Mr Sartaj Aziz is doing in Amritsar. If this government was indeed wanting to corner Pakistan on terror and they believe that terror and talks should not go hand in hand, so have they called Mr Sartaj Aziz to Amritsar to feed him Amritsari Kulcha or biriyani?” Tewari told ANI.
The Congress leader said when the ruling BJP was in opposition, it kept on saying for ten years that talks and terror can’t go hand in hand.
“For the last 30 months, you are seeing flip flops, U-turns and somersaults including talking about terror with Pakistan. So, therefore, there is absolutely no coherence, no consistency, no tactics to this government’s strategy for Pakistan and that’s why the deep state of Pakistan has been running circles around India,” he added.
Asserting that Pakistan has not stopped attacking India, Tewari asked, “Where is the terror stopping that this government keeps on kowtowing to the Pakistani state?”
The Congress leader’s assertion came a day after Aziz arrived in Amritsar for the 'Heart of Asia' conference amid speculations that he and Prime Minister Narendra Modi would meet for more than the customary handshake.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) had, however, earlier this week said that talks were not possible amidst continued terrorism in Pakistan, a clear reference to the latest strike on the Nagrota base.
The sixth 'Heart of Asia' conference will see the participation of representatives from over 30 countries including China, United States, Russia, Iran and Pakistan to discuss peace, cooperation and economic development in Afghanistan.
The main ministerial conference will be inaugurated today jointly by Prime Minister Modi and Afghan President Ashraf Ghani.