New Delhi/Riyadh: Opposition parties criticized Minister of State for External Affairs Shashi Tharoor for saying Saudi Arabia could be a potential interlocutor in India's ties with Pakistan and the Congress tried to explain his statement.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) described Tharoor’s statement as "utterly irresponsible".
Tharoor's comment is "utterly irresponsible and we thoroughly condemn it," said BJP spokesperson Ravishankar Prasad in Delhi.
Tharoor is part of the official delegation accompanying the Prime Minister on his visit to Saudi Arabia, he said. "Has the statement been made with the consent of the Prime Minister? Is this a trial balloon?" Prasad asked.
"There has been no third party mediation (in Indo-Pak ties). Tharoor's remarks are an insult to India's sovereignty. We will seek a clarification from the Prime Minister in Parliament," he said.
BJP spokesman Prakash Javadekar reiterated India's known stand that no third party can intervene in issues between India and Pakistan.
"Tharoor's remarks are objectionable. The Prime Minister must explain such irresponsible remarks," Javadekar told IANS.
The Communist Party of India (CPI) said Tharoor's statement was "irresponsible" and the Prime Minister must clarify.
"This is an irresponsible statement creating confusion. This one is deviating from India's stated position that no third party intervention is allowed in Indo-Pak relations," said CPI leader D Raja. He said the Prime Minister owes an explanation to the nation and Parliament.
Tharoor, who is accompanying Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on his three-day official visit to Riyadh, said: "We feel Saudi Arabia has a long and close relationship with Pakistan and that makes Saudi Arabia a more valuable interlocutor to us."
He was asked if India would seek Saudi support to influence Pakistan to address Indian concerns over terrorism emanating from Pakistani territory.
After the controversy, Tharoor clarified that New Delhi's desire to seek Riyadh's support on terrorism related issues with Islamabad did not mean giving it the role of a mediator in India-Pakistan disputes.
He said he had never used the word 'mediation' or 'mediator' while talking about a possible Saudi role.
"No chance of my saying Saudi Arabia should be a mediator... Never said that or anything like it," Tharoor said a couple of hours after the media publicised his earlier remarks.
India is firmly opposed to any third party role in its relations with Pakistan.
Commenting on Tharoor's statement, a source close to Congress president Sonia Gandhi told IANS: "India's position on 'no' to third-party mediation in India-Pakistan issues is unchanged. There is no change in the Congress position."
Comments
0 comment