Jaipur : THE BJP on Thursday demanded the Rajasthan government to send back Pakistani delegates visiting Jaipur Literature Festival even as Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot appealed not to politicise the issue.
“Whatever (the ceasefire violations on the LoC) the Pakistani Army did was condemnable. It was condemned by India and the citizens (of the country).
“But the visit of Pakistani authors to the literary festival should not be politicised,” Gehlot said in reference to the spate of protests against their participation in the festival after the killing of two Indian soldiers by Pakistani Army.
“The culprits should get punishment and there is resentment against Pakistan among people here, but at the same time, I would condemn if anyone politicised this issue. It is not a right platform for this,” Gehlot told at Diggi Palace after the inauguration of the five-day event.
The Chief Minister also said there have been examples when authors and sportspersons have played a positive role in diluting tensions between two countries, while adding that the government has provided adequate security at the festival.
BJP, however, continued with their demand to send back visiting Pakistani delegates even as two authors from the neighbouring country participated at the festival on Thursday. “We are not against the literature festival but we are against the double standards of Pakistan. “We condemn the dilly-dallying attitude of Congress with regard to Pakistan and demand from the government of Rajasthan to send back Pakistani delegates in order to give a strong message to Pakistan,” BJP state president Arun Chaturvedi said in a statement here. -PTI
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