ThePrint asks:
Is Modi going overboard by blaming Pakistan for trying to influence Gujarat polls?
The Prime Minister has inflicted a very severe blow to Indian diplomacy and India’s strategic interests, by making completely unwarranted assertions or statements against the Congress party.
He has made irresponsible statements linking Congress to Pakistan and imagining a conspiracy to interfere with the Gujarat elections.
This is not the first time that Modi has raised the Pakistan bogey to deflect attention from real issues. He had done it in the 2002 elections when he went about calling him ‘Miya Musharraf’, completely ignoring that it was Prime Minister Vajpayee who had invited Musharraf to Agra in April, 2001, after the Kargil conflict. Musharraf insulted India, walked out of the Agra summit and that was followed by the Parliament attack. This did not in any way stop Modi from raising the Pakistan bogey.
Modi did it again in the 2007 elections. In 2012, he manufactured a controversy that the UPA government was going to hand over Sir Creek to Pakistan, which was an absolute outrageous lie. He has done it once again saying that there is a conspiracy between Pakistan and the Congress party with regards to the Gujarat polls. This is absolutely outrageous and preposterous, for the lack of a better word.
Here are other sharp perspectives on the question:
Sudhanshu Mittal, member of the Bharatiya Janata Party
Zahid Hussain, is a journalist and author in Pakistan
If the Prime Minster of India has any empirical evidence, then he should expel the Pakistani envoy. Number two, if he thinks that former PMs, Vice-Presidents of India, former army chiefs, diplomats, and other important public commentators should not be meeting the former foreign minister of Pakistan or the Pakistani High Commissioner even over a casual dinner or for track-two interaction, then Modi does not live in the real world. These interactions are normal. This shows that Modi does not even know the ‘D’ of diplomacy.
Modi as the chief minister of Gujarat used to regularly meet ambassadors of different countries; nobody objected to it at that point of time. This unnecessary demonisation. It’s totally uncalled for and is unworthy of the Prime Minister of India.
It shows his utter arrogance and ignorance. Tomorrow he can turn around and even say China is interfering in Gujarat elections. You have a desperate man who knows that the groundswell is against him in Gujarat and therefore is swinging from the sublime to the ridiculous.
People have been through this charade earlier. In Bihar, BJP president Amit Shah said there will be celebrations in Karachi over Mahagathbandhan. The people in Gujarat are asking tough questions about real issues, about the lack of development in Gujarat, about the ‘Gabbar Singh Tax’, about how demonetisation has totally destroyed the informal sector, and the corporatisation of hospitals and universities making them unaffordable.
Manish Tewari is the spokesperson for Congress party
Hopefully we in India, will have someone in the Center who has the vision, intent and competence to take India forward with respect for Indians.
A govt. with absolute majority in LS could have done a lot good, not misuse power and cause anarchy. Year after year.
2019 is not very far.