NEW DELHI: Senior Congress leader Veerappa Moily today hit out at the government, accusing it of "diplomatic failure", after Kulbhushan Jadhav's mother and wife were harassed by the Pakistani side during their meeting with the Indian national in Islamabad.
Union Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal hit back at the Congress, saying she does not know to what level the opposition party can fall, if it could not come together on the issue of treatment of women by a "terrorist" country which always worked towards harming India.
The war of words came in the backdrop of Pakistan's harassment of Jadhav's mother and wife. Pakistan went so far as to have the mangal sutra, bangles and bindi of his mother and wife removed before they met him on Monday.
Moily told a television channel that the external affairs ministry should have ensured the right kind of arrangement or protocol for the meeting.
"It (the manner in which Jadhav's family was treated) is absolutely inhuman and violated all codes and ethics of protocol," he said.
Moily also said that the external affairs ministry should have spoken with its Pakistani counterpart or Prime Minister Narendra Modi should have taken up the matter with the Pakistani premier.
"This was a total diplomatic failure," Moily said.
Badal slammed Congress's reaction as "very shameful and extremely sad".
She criticised Pakistan for the treatment meted out to Jadhav's family, saying the neighbouring country stands exposed in front of the entire world.
Pakistan cannot make India "weaker" by doing such things, she told a TV channel.
"In fact, our resolve of giving (it) back to them is being strengthened," she said, adding that other nations were also alligning with India against such treatment.