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New Delhi, October 16 (IANS) The BJP on Thursday hit out at Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi over his remarks on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘fearful’ behavior towards US President Donald Trump.
BJP national spokesperson Tuhin Sinha told IANS, “Rahul Gandhi shows his limited understanding of foreign relations. India’s energy procurement policy is independent and sovereign. India imports oil from many countries and decisions are taken on the basis of protecting India’s national interests.”
Sinha said it is unfair to repeatedly raise issues about ceasefire violations as they have been clearly addressed by the DGMO and PM Modi.
Sinha claimed, “Rahul Gandhi should educate himself before making such claims, especially since the Congress is facing the worst situation in Bihar at the moment.”
Earlier, Rahul Gandhi had launched a scathing attack on PM Modi, claiming that he was ‘scared’ of Trump after his statement in which he said that PM Modi had assured him that India would stop buying Russian oil.
Sinha also claimed that it is important to review the history of the time the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government was in power.
He said, “It seems that after staying away from the public eye for 15 days, Rahul Gandhi has tried to create a stir by posting baseless claims on his social media. If he wants to make such allegations, he should look at the history of the UPA government during its tenure.”
The BJP spokesperson said that Congress should explain why it did not take any significant action against Pakistan despite continuous terrorist attacks between 2004 and 2008.
“Then, terrorist incidents took place almost every month, yet no decisive action was taken,” Sinha claimed.
However, the Congress defended Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi’s remarks, accusing Prime Minister Modi of “cowardice”.
Senior Congress leader Udit Raj told IANS that PM Modi acts on the basis of threats he receives.
He said, “He is a coward. When China threatens him, he runs away; when America threatens him, he runs away; and when Russia supplies us with oil, he runs away again.”
Raj further claimed that Trump is pressurizing countries to buy oil by threatening them, adding that the US President has claimed more than 40 times that he has ensured a ceasefire, but PM Modi is silent.
He said, “PM Modi did not attend the Sharm Al Sheikh summit in Egypt, where Trump was present. If PM Modi had attended, Trump would have once again claimed to have brokered a ceasefire between India and Pakistan.”
Congress MP Tariq Anwar said that if there is pressure from Trump or any other external force, then India should never bow down to it.
He said, “Our policy has always been to be a non-aligned nation, taking decisions solely on the basis of our national interest. It is wrong for any foreign power to interfere in our internal affairs or put pressure on us.”
The Indian government has not yet responded to Trump’s latest claims. Trump has described Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a “great guy” and India as “an incredible country” and said he looks forward to meeting the prime minister on the sidelines of the upcoming ASEAN summit in Malaysia.
Trump also claimed that he has been “assured” that India will not buy oil from Russia, adding that he understands this cannot be done “immediately”.
–IANS
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