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Opposition would remain where they are for the next 20 years: Shah in House
“I object to one thing, while India’s external affairs minister, who has taken an oath, is speaking, they choose to believe someone from another country instead,” Shah said.
Union home minister Amit Shah on Monday slammed the Congress-led Opposition for refusing to trust external affairs minister S Jaishankar’s statement on the diplomatic issues involving Operation Sindoor, noting that it is the reason why the “Opposition would remain where they are for the next 20 years”.
Shah, who is scheduled to speak on Operation Sindoor in Lok Sabha on Tuesday, twice intervened to seek Speaker Om Birla’s help after some Opposition leaders interrupted Jaishankar and challenged his statements.
The first time protests erupted in the Congress benches was when Jaishankar brought mentioned how China was given the status of strategic partner during the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government.
He also quipped about how China was providing staples to people in Arunachal Pradesh even as Opposition leaders visited the neighbouring country to attend the Olympics. “I did not go to China for secret agreements or to see the Olympics,” he added.
Amid the Congress’s protest, Shah said, “When such an important issue is being discussed, and the EAM is speaking, does it look nice that the Opposition is disturbing him? Speaker sir, you should make them understand or else we will also not be able to make our members understand anything later...”
During his speech, Jaishankar noted there was no mention of trade between India and the United States during the hostilities with Pakistan, further saying that US President Donald Trump played no role in ending the military conflict.
When the Opposition again began shouting, questioning Jaishankar’s claims, Shah intervened.
“I object to one thing, while India’s external affairs minister, who has taken an oath, is speaking, they choose to believe someone from another country instead,” he said. “ I understand the importance of ‘foreign countries’ in their (Congress) party, but I urge them to keep that preference confined to their party. It is precisely because of this attitude that they are sitting in the Opposition today, and they will continue to sit there for the next 20 years.”
