BJP talks of diplomatic wins before concrete action: Azad on Modi-Xi meet

Senior Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad said events after the meeting between Modi and Xi would decide whether there was anything to celebrate about.

As Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Chinese President Xi Jinping in the central Chinese city of Wuhan on Friday, the Congress said the BJP is notorious for talking about its “diplomatic victories” even before any concrete action takes place.

Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad.(HT Photo)

Talking to reporters in Srinagar, Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad said events after the meeting between Modi and Xi would decide whether there was anything to celebrate about.

“The BJP starts talking about (diplomatic) victories even before something concrete takes place between two countries. The question is what happens after the meeting. Our Prime Minister and the Chinese president have enjoyed swing rides earlier too,” he said.

Azad was apparently referring to the Doklam standoff between Indian and Chinese armies last year. The 72-day standoff took place a year after Xi’s visit to India to attend the BRICS summit.

“We have been hearing of diplomatic victories (of the government) for quite some time... after the Afghanistan visit, after the Pakistan visit. When he (Modi) landed in Pakistan while returning from Afghanistan, we had to shut our ears as the BJP went to town about the ‘big initiative’ of the PM. What happened after that between India and Pakistan?” he asked.

Commenting on the BJP-led NDA government’s Kashmir policy, Azad said it was an “elimination policy”. “People are saying the BJP has no policy (on Kashmir), but they are worsening the situation so that more youths join militancy and then get them killed. They have an elimination policy,” he added.