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Rahul Gandhi meets G-20 diplomats, says Congress can take hard stance on national security

Congress president Rahul Gandhi hosts G-20 envoys for lunch, discusses range of issues from terror to elections to his minimum income guarantee promise.

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New Delhi: The Congress is not afraid of taking a hard stance on national security and has done so in the past, party president Rahul Gandhi told a group of diplomats Wednesday.

Gandhi, who hosted envoys of the G-20 nations for lunch, primarily discussed the Pulwama terror attack and the Balakot air strikes with them.

“Today, I met with diplomats of the G-20 nations & some neighbouring countries. We discussed a wide range of issues & are united in our fight against the scourge of terrorism,” Gandhi later tweeted. “I enjoyed the exchange of perspectives & ideas & look forward to continuing our dialogue.”

According to sources privy to what transpired at the meeting, the Congress president shared his vision on the geopolitical situation in the country, and the recent terror attack. The need to fight terrorism came up.

“The Congress president told them that the party is not afraid of taking a hard stance on national security, and it has done that in the past too,” said a source. “He also reiterated that the Congress is with the government, as stated earlier too, but was against the politicisation being done by it.”

The meeting was initially planned for 15 February, but was postponed due to the Pulwama attack.

“We were given to understand that Congress is at the forefront of fighting terror, that India is united against this mess, and that the country has been getting the support from many countries on this,” said one of the ambassadors who attended the meeting.

According to diplomatic sources, Gandhi took turns to sit with various ambassadors, as they were all seated in groups. He discussed issues concerning the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, the tensions with Pakistan, and the upcoming elections in Afghanistan.


Also read: There is enough evidence to prosecute PM Modi in Rafale deal case, says Rahul Gandhi


Sonia, Manmohan attend meet

The lunch meeting, which lasted over two hours, was also attended by UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi, former prime minister Manmohan Singh, Congress foreign affairs department head Anand Sharma, and Manish Tewari, general secretary of the department.

Sharma was tasked with coordinating with the ambassadors and heads of missions of G-20 countries. Apart from India, the G-20 includes Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, the United Kingdom, the United States and the European Union.

Some of the envoys were also interested in knowing what promises the Congress would include in its Lok Sabha poll manifesto, especially regarding the minimum income guarantee promise and how it will be implemented, sources said. “We had a free-flowing exchange of ideas. From philosophy to farming everything was discussed,” said a source. “It was a fruitful discussion.”

Another diplomat who attended the meeting said “such interactions with the opposition parties are a norm. It is a good practice that major Indian political parties reach out to foreign missions based in the country”.

(With inputs from Nayanima Basu)


Also read: Rahul Gandhi accuses PM Modi of lying about inaugurating ordnance factory in Amethi


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4 COMMENTS

  1. SONIA AND PAPPU ARE JAICHANDS,SIDDHU IS A MIR JAFER TIME TO

    PACK THESE & SEVERAL OTHERS IN THE GRAB OF CONGRESS – REAL TRAITORS AND THROW THEM OUT TO PAKISTAN OR ITALY IN THE JAISH OR HIJBUL CAMPS FOR A VEST!
    DAY IN AND DAY OUT THESE CROOKS ARE MAKING EVERY EFFORT TO DEFAME INDIA AND SUPPORT PAKISTAN IN ITS ATTEMPT OF CONTINUE BLEEDING INDIA THROUGH THOUSAND CUTS!

    WHY LOOK AT PAKISTAN! THESE INTERNAL TERMITES ARE THE REAL DANGER TO INDIA, TAKE THESE TERMITES OUT AND MORE THAN 90% OF INDIA’S PROBLEMS WILL BE DISSOLVED AND COUNTRY WILL SET ON UNPARALLELED SPEED OF DEVELOPMENT& PROGRESS, NO ONE BE ABLE TO STOP& TERROR ATTACKS WILL VANISH!
    26/11 attack was a Pakistani military operation. A former CONGRESS chief minister DIGGI SINGH released a book whose title said that the RSS was behind the attack on Mumbai. And, PAPPU the Congress president TOLD TO Americans& world that he was more worried about Hindu terrorism than the jihadist kind.
    THEN COMES ”DASTARDLY ACT “PHULWMA” AFTER SIDDHUS HUG!& then the climax of dastardliness -THE WAY CONGRESS TRIED TO BLAME AS SOON AS ATTACK INDICATES CONGRESS HAS A HAND IN THIS& was prepared with text in advance .
    BJP RIGHTFULLYWAS BOASTING, NO MAJOR RIOTS IN THE COUNTRY SINCE THEY CAME IN TO POWER,
    SINCE THEN, APPEARS CONGRESS WANTED TO POKE HOLE IN THEIR CLAIM. SO, TRAITORS ALL WENT IN OVERDRIVE EMERGENCY PLANNING.
    NOTICE EVENTS SINCE MODI CAME IN TO POWER,
    PAPPU IN HIDINGGOES TO CHINESE WITH CONGRESS’S SON IN LAW REAL ESTATE BROKER ROBER TO SELL DOK-LAM FOR PROFIT!,
    PAPPU’S REP. MANISHANKH CAMPING IN PAKISTAN BEGGING PAKISTAN TO ELIMINATE MODI,
    PAPPU’S REP. SIDDHU ENJOYOING BAJWA’S IN HIM AND THEN EXPRESSING HEAVENLY JOY!
    PAPPU’S “KHOON KI DALALI,” ,
    PAPPU’S “SADAK KE GUNDE”,
    PAPPU’S SOLIDARITY WITH TUKADE TUKADE TRAITORS,
    PAPPU’S SOLIDARITY WITH PFI,
    PAPPU””S RELENTLESS ATTEMPTS TO DENY DEFENSE FORCES ENHANCEMENT – RAFAEL!
    ******PAPPU’S ( THE PRESIDENT OF CONGRESS) SILENCE SINCE 40 OF OUR JAWNS SACRIFCE IN TERROIST BLAST FOR FULL 24 HOURS HE WENT IN TO COMPLETE HIDING IN SILENCE!!
    ISN’T THIS ENOUGH TO SHED THE BLINDFOLD!
    DO WE ANY MORE PROOF? OR
    YOU CLEARLY SEE A DESIGN.?
    ACTION AGAINST FEEBLE PAKISTAN DESERVING BUT
    THIS POWERFUL ENEMY WITHIN MUST BE TAKEN CARE WITHOUT ANY MORE DELAY.
    VIGILOUTSIDE OK BUT
    CLEAN UP THE HOUSE FIRST!
    THE GREATEST THREAT TO INDIA IS NOT PAKISTAN WHICH CAN BE WIPED OUT WITHIN DAYS IF WE BRING ALL OUR UNITED STRENGTH TOGETHER AND NO COUNTRY IN THE WORLD CAN STOP US.
    REAL THREAT IS THIS FAKE CONGRESS OR SAY THE GOONS WHO ASSUMED CONGRESS TITLE TO FOOL PEOPLE!
    MAHATMA GANDHIJI WANTED INDIA CONGRESS MUKT BUT THESE CHEATS HAD AN AGENDA!
    PAKISTAN MAY BE BEHIND THIS ACT BUT ALL LOGISTICS PROVIDED BY PAPPU.
    ITS TIME TO FULFIL NATION’S FATHER- MAHATMA GANDHIJI’S FINAL!

  2. 1. I think the Congress President Rahul Gandhi, if he is sincere about India’s security concerns, should ask his party colleagues to publish a “White Paper” or WP on country’s security concerns. 2. I think the Congress party’s WP should specifically provide following details as to what the Congress or UPA governments have done (a) to deal with the Kashmir issue and (b) to deal with security issues in the North eastern states, especially Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya Mizoram and Assam which arose in the past and which continue to exist even today. 3. We are aware of adverse impact of violence in the Kashmir valley; citizen-voters wish to know what Congress and UPA governments did to minimize it. 4. Rahul Gandhi says that he is against politicisation of Pulwama attack and subsequent action by our Army but does he remember that his party was the sole beneficiary of a military action and liberation of East Pakistan (Bangladesh) in a war against Pakistan in 1971? I am of opinion that our opposition parties are mainly responsible for pollicisation of India’s security issues and they should refrain from such blatant politicisation.

  3. It sends a good message to the rest of the world that there are various political stakeholders who make up a mature democracy, that there is experience, expertise, vision, should they come into positions of responsibility. The diplomats would have been especially interested in knowing that there would be continuity in foreign policy and other major programmes and initiatives. Senior foreign leaders have also been visiting state capitals, meeting with CMs who are from regional parties.

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