BJP attacks Cong for ‘weak’ foreign policy

Slamming the Congress-led UPA’s “disoriented and weak” foreign policy, the BJP on Saturday claimed it had led to situations like the one involving the diplomat Devyani Khobragade in the US, repeated violations along Pakistan and China borders and mistrust with Sri Lanka. The main Opposition reiterated that “foreign elements” were also trying that a “strong government is not formed” in India.
While addressing the party’s national council meet, BJP chief Rajnath Singh said the BJP favours cordial and friendly relations with other countries but not at the expense of India’s self-esteem.
Citing Pokhran nuclear tests which led to international sanctions against India, Mr Singh said by the time the BJP-led NDA “left the government in 2004, a new- found vigour had returned to the Indo-US ties. But during UPA’s rule, relations between the two countries have reached a new low.”
“However much we condemn the undue harassment meted out to our diplomat (Khobragade) on American soil, it would not be enough... The US view of this incident is completely unreasonable and condemnable,” Mr Singh said.
BJP also demanded that India hold back the granting of most favoured nation status to Pakistan in the wake of recent incidents at the border. Mr Singh said India has made several attempts to improve relations with Pakistan, but those have ended in failure as Islamabad has not followed up its pronouncements with action.
“While UPA government claims it has no dialogue with Pakistan, Prime Ministers of the two countries, legislators and officials have been holding regular meetings... A meeting between foreign ministers of India and Pakistan commences today,” Mr Singh said, adding that the UPA government was allegedly trying to fool the people by claiming it was not a dialogue. He even cited the beheading of Indian soldiers by Pakistani Army.
He stressed relations between New Delhi and Beijing would improve only when there is a decisive government at the Centre.
The BJP called for improving relations with Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Afghanistan in the light of new geopolitical developments in India’s neighbourhood.