Finance Minister Arun Jaitley took on Manmohan Singh for his statement slamming Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and stated he was surprised that the Congress expected Modi to apologise, according to an ANI tweet.
Former PM Manmohan Singh has issued a statement asking PM Modi to apologise for what he said in an election rally with regard to a meeting involving Pakistani delegations. It is surprising that Congress party expect the Prime Minister of India to apologise for it: FM Arun Jaitley pic.twitter.com/kA8VtLAMNK
— ANI (@ANI) December 11, 2017
Jaitley, addressing a press conference on Monday evening, said: "Those who violated the national policy of talks and terror not going hand-in-hand should apologise." "India's talks with Pakistan and the level of engagement is well-known to everyone," he added.
Jaitley alleged that Congress leaders were in denial and rather than accepting it as a misadventure, were blaming those who raised the issue. Jaitley added that the Congress was a prominent part of Opposition and that "those in a responsible position in national politics should maintain that position". According to DNA, Jaitley demanded that Congress must give a detailed 'facts what transpired in that meeting. The report also quoted General Kapoor, a former army chief, as saying that Gujarat elections were never discussed at the dinner meeting. I
"Is (the) main Opposition party not part of the State?" he asked. Jaitley said that if anyone defies the national line, he should be prepared to answer questions. "It is a political misadventure, it has a political cost," he said. He wanted the former prime minister to explain what transpired at the meeting and went on to defend his government's track record of fighting terror, saying no government in the past has a track record this government has in fighting terrorism. In response to Singh's demand for apology, Jaitley further said people who have violated the national policy of talks and terror not going hand in hand should apologise.
According to ANI, Jaitley also slammed Mani Shankar Aiyar:
Those like Mani Shankar Aiyar always had an inconsistent position. They maintained a parallel line of dialogue, underplayed Pakistan's role in instigating terrorism in India & continued to engage with them (Pak) : FM Arun Jaitley pic.twitter.com/pACCscylnq — ANI (@ANI) December 11, 2017
On Monday, Singh hit out at Modi and said he was spreading "falsehoods" to “score political points.” Singh issued the statement after it was reported that he met a Pakistani envoy at the residence of Mani Shankar Aiyar. Singh, in his statement, denied that any discussion about the Gujarat election took place at the meeting, said that Modi was losing ground in Gujarat and his fear of the imminent loss was evident.
At a rally on Sunday, Modi had alleged that the "three-hour secret meeting" was attended by Pakistan's high commissioner, its former foreign minister, Manmohan Singh, and former vice-president Hamid Ansari, The Times of India reported. The report said he had further charged that the Congress and certain entities in Pakistan may be working together to prevent the BJP from winning Gujarat.
The report also quoted Jaitley as saying detractors only had to follow media reports to understand how well the current dispensation had fared in the matter where Mod's history of responding to terror attacks were concerned.
On Sunday, Modi attacked the Congress over Mani Shankar Aiyar's 'neech' comment and his reported recent meeting with Pakistani officials, alleging that Pakistan was interfering in Gujarat Assembly elections.
Modi, who was speaking at a rally in Palanpur in Banaskantha, sought an explanation from the Congress over its top partymen who purportedly met leaders from the neighbouring country.
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Published Date: Dec 11, 2017 08:50 pm | Updated Date: Dec 11, 2017 09:37 pm
