New Delhi: The Congress once again on Wednesday accused the Modi government of the biggest diplomatic blunder in India's history by deliberately internationalising Kashmir issue by allowing EU MPs to visit Kashmir, violating our time-tested policy of Kashmir being an "internal matter" of India.
Its chief spokesman Randeep Singh Surjewala told a press conference that the BJP government facilitated the dubious trip of 23 EU MPs to Kashmir for which Prime Minister Narendra Modi will have to answer as it amounts to "challenging India's sovereignty, national security and insult of India's Parliament."
Surjewala said: "Modi government has committed a grave sacrilege by introducing a tghird party to assess the ground situation in Kashmir and that too through an unknown think tank. By doing so, government has caused an affront to India's sovereign right over Jammu and Kashmir."
He said PM Modi owes to the nation to explain "an immature, ill-advised and ill-conceived PR exercise of the Government organized by an 'International Business Broker,' in which 27 members of European Parliament were brought to India by a non-descript think tank with questionable credentials to meet with the Prime Minister, visit Kashmir and hold press briefing."
Surjewala underlined India's time tested policy over last 72 years that Kashmir is an internal issue of India and it will accept no interference or third party mediation of any nature from any government or group of people or organisation or any individual. He said the Modi Government has committed the gravest sin of reversing this policy over last three days.
He said the BJP Government has insulted India's Parliament and democratic spirit. "When our own Members of Parliament and Leaders of Opposition visit Kashmir, they are detained and deported from Airport by the present BJP Government. On the other hand, BJP Government is rolling out the Red Carpet for a private visit by EU MPs facilitated by an unknown International Business Broker."
Surjewala said the obvious inference is that the "Modi Government has made a spectacle of India's diplomacy by outsourcing diplomacy to the International Business Broker.
"Will the Prime Minister tell as to who is 'Madi Sharma'? What is BJP's connection to 'Women's Economic and Social Think Tank' as also to 'International Institute for Non-aligned Studies'? Why and in what capacity is Madi Sharma fixing an appointment with the Prime Minister for a delegation of EU MPs on a personal visit and why is Government of India facilitating it? Where is the money to finance the entire visit coming from? Why has MEA been completely sidelined," the Congress leader asked.
