Former BJP Rajya Sabha MP Subramanian Swamy has lashed out at the Centre’s Narendra Modi government for inviting a minister from China to India for a key summit next week. Terming the development as a ‘national shame,’ Swamy said that the development raised ‘serious doubts about our integrity.’
Swamy wrote, “National shame that the clandestine occupier [and junior partner ] of our land should be invited to our country. It raises serious doubts about our integrity.”
The outspoken BJP leader was reacting to the news of India inviting Chinese Defence Minister Li Shangfu and his Russian counterpart Sergei Shoigu reportedly attending a key meeting of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation next week. The two-day meeting, hosted by India, will be held on 27 and 28 April.
All member countries except Pakistan have reportedly confirmed their participation, said a report by the news agency PTI. It remains to be seen how Swamy and other BJP leaders would react if Pakistan also confirms its participation.
The PTI report, however, said that Pakistan has confirmed its participation for the foreign ministerial meeting of the SCO, scheduled to be held in Goa on 4 and 5 May. Pakistani Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari is set to travel to India to attend the meeting. He’s been outspoken in his criticism for Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Indian government’s policy on Kashmir.
Swamy has always slammed the Modi government for its weak policy towards China in the past, particularly after the Chinse troops reportedly occupied a large swathe of Indian territory in eastern Ladakh. In August last year, Swamy had sensationally accused the Modi government of surrendering to China.
On another occasion, he had launched another scathing attack against Modi by accusing the government headed by him of suffering from ‘Stockholm Syndrome’ in dealing with China.
