Congress hits back at BJP after saffron party’s ‘not aligning with public sentiment’ jibe

The clamour in the country against Turkey and Azerbaijan for backing Pakistan during the recent flare-up with India has triggered a fresh war of words between the Congress and the BJP, with the grand-old-party urging Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar to clarify the government's stance.

Amid calls for a boycott of trade and tourism with both Turkey and Azerbaijan, Congress leader Pawan Khera, in his response to the BJP’s criticism over the party leaders' evasive response to a question on boycott calls, said the decision to maintain or sever ties with any country should be made by the government, not by the opposition.

"Since this question is being raised by an office-bearer of the BJP, the PM and EAM should immediately clarify if the government has snapped all diplomatic and trade relations with Turkey and has also shut their embassy in India,” Khera wrote, replying to BJP’s Amit Malviya.

Sharing a video of Khera and Jairam Ramesh appearing to avoid a question about the boycott of Turkey at a press conference, Malviya said, “Though the country is enraged by the support Turkey and Azerbaijan have extended to Pakistan, the Congress cannot even bring itself to align with the broader sentiment of the Indian people.”