Lashing out at Modi government over the visit of European Union MPs to Jammu and Kashmir, Congress on Wednesday asked the Centre why it was "internationalising the Kashmir issue" despite it being an "internal" matter of the country.
The grand old party said the visit was a "diplomatic blunder" facilitated by "international business broker", news agency IANS reported.
Chief party spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said that over the last three days, India witnessed an immature, ill-advised and ill-conceived PR exercise of the BJP government organized by an "international business broker".
He said 27 members of the European Parliament were brought to India by a nondescript think tank with questionable credentials to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi, visit Kashmir and hold a press briefing. Only 23 went to Kashmir on a BJP government-facilitated trip as four members returned from Delhi itself.
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He said India's time-tested policy over the last 72 years is that Kashmir is our internal issue and we will accept no interference or third party mediation of any nature from any government or group of people or organisation or any individual. The Modi government has committed the gravest sin of reversing this policy over the last three days, he said.
Surjewala said the "BJP government has insulted India's Parliament and our democratic spirit. When our own Members of Parliament and Leaders of Opposition visit Kashmir, they are detained and deported from the airport by the present BJP government.
"On the other hand, the BJP government is rolling out the red carpet for a private visit by EU MPs facilitated by an unknown 'International Business Broker,'' he said.
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Congress also sought to know who Madi Sharma, the woman who sent invites to MEPs for a meet with the prime minister, was.
"Modi Government has made a spectacle of India's diplomacy by outsourcing diplomacy to an 'International Business Broker'. Will the Prime Minister tell us who is Madi Sharma? What is BJP's connection to 'Women's Economic and Social Think Tank' as also to 'International Institute for Non-aligned Studies'?
"Why and in what capacity is Madi Sharma fixing an appointment with the Prime Minister for a delegation of EU MPs on a personal visit and why is Government of India facilitating it? Where is the money to finance the entire visit coming from? Why has MEA been completely sidelined?" Surjewala asked.
Calling it a "grave sacrilege", Surjewala said: "... By introducing a third party to assess the ground situation in Kashmir, and that too through an unknown think tank... the government has caused an affront to India's sovereign right over Jammu and Kashmir."
(With inputs IANS)
