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Business News/ Politics / News/  BJP, Congress spar over China move on Masood Azhar
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BJP, Congress spar over China move on Masood Azhar

Rahul Gandhi questions Narendra Modi’s silence over China’s action, BJP hits back
  • Congress says the move reaffirms Chinese position of being an inseparable ally of Pakistan
  • Rahul Gandhi.Premium
    Rahul Gandhi.

    NEW DELHI : China’s move to prevent a United Nations (UN) committee from blacklisting Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) chief Maulana Masood Azhar spilled over into domestic politics on Thursday, with a heated exchange of words between the opposition Congress and the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

    Congress president Rahul Gandhi kicked off a political storm over the issue when he questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s silence over China’s action. “Weak Modi is scared of Xi. Not a word comes out of his mouth when China acts against India," he posted on Twitter on Thursday morning, referring to Chinese President Xi Jinping.

    The Congress held a press conference later in the day to mount a further attack.

    “Blocking of Masood Azhar from being declared as an international terrorist by China is a major setback for the global fight against terrorism. It once again reaffirms the Chinese position of being an inseparable ally of terrorism’s breeding ground i.e Pakistan," said Randeep Singh Surjewala, the chief spokesperson of the Congress.

    The Congress party broadened its criticism of Modi, maintaining that the government’s foreign policy has been “a series of diplomatic blunders" and that China’s action on Pakistan-based Azhar was another example of this.

    The BJP fielded Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad to address a press conference hours after the Congress attack.

    “Why is Rahul Gandhi in a celebratory mood when the country stands pained with this attitude of China," Prasad asked, claiming that Gandhi with his comments is seen to be “in close proximity with Azhar Masood".

    “If you enjoy such good relations with China, you should have used your proximity to persuade the country to back the proposal in the UN," Prasad said. The minister added that it is said late Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru played a role in China becoming a permanent member of the UN Security Council (UNSC).

    Surjewala hit back at Prasad for “dragging" Nehru into the controversy.

    The developments are significant as they come ahead of the April-May general elections where internal security and anti-terrorism are likely to figure among the key issues.

    China on Wednesday night had put a “technical hold" on a move by a UNSC committee to declare Azhar Masood a terrorist, asking for “more time to examine" the proposal. Ever since the Pulwama terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir last month, internal security has been a key issue raised by both the BJP and the Congress. The Congress has accused the BJP of politicizing the issue, while the latter has hit back claiming that previous governments did not do enough to resolve the issue.

    PTI contributed to this story.

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    Published: 15 Mar 2019, 12:05 AM IST
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