Shashi Tharoor slams Sushma Swaraj's UN speech; BJP hits back

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor has described the speech by external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj at the UN General Assembly "disappointing" and said it "failed" to project India's "constructive and positive image."

In a hard-hitting retort to Pakistan, Swaraj had said India has made many efforts to hold talks with Islamabad and the only reason New Delhi has called off dialogue is because of Pakistan's behaviour.

Pakistan's commitment to terrorism as an instrument of state policy has not abated one bit, Swaraj told world leaders at the UN on Saturday and asked them how India can pursue talks with a nation that "glorifies killers" and allows the Mumbai attack mastermind to "roam free" with impunity.

Tharoor alleged that the speech was aimed at BJP voters.

"We get the sense that everything is about the political environment in India.

And this was a speech aimed at the BJP voters and sending a message to the voters particularly on the subject of Pakistan rather than projecting a constructive and positive image of India in the world."

To that degree, it was a "disappointing" speech, he said here.

"I think some of the things Sushmaji said one can fully appreciate and welcome. But some of the statements were disappointing," he said.

The BJP reacted strongly to Shashi Tharoor's citicism of Sushma Swaraj's UN speech, saying the opposition party defied a convention of all political parties speaking in the same voice on India's stand abroad.

BJP spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi said the Congress is being increasingly seen to be standing with Pakistan as Tharoor's statement was not an isolated incident and the opposition party often spoke the language of the neighouring country.

He told a press conference that the Congress should apologise to the country and said its stand on various issues appeared similar to that of Pakistan in "intent, language and style".

"There has been an established convention in politics since independence that political parties are unanimous on foreign issues, at least when it comes to taking a stand at the United Nations (UN) where India's position is not of a political party.

"Pakistan has always opposed us there. For the first time a senior Congress leader is also criticising," Trivedi said.