Swaraj counters Gandhi's claims over Modi's Pakistan visit, calls them 'incorrect'

Amid aggressive face-off between the government and the opposition in Parliament, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj rejected Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi’s charge that even the Foreign Minister was unaware of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s impromptu visit to Pakistan in December 2015.

Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi had said, “Pakistan directly attacked this country in Mumbai. Almost 200 people were murdered and butchered. And what did PM do? Without any thought or vision, the PM decided to go and have tea with Pakistan PM.” “PM didn’t consult the armed forces, he didn’t consult the officials, I don’t think he even discussed with Sushma ji,” Mr Gandhi added.

Mrs Swaraj reacted strongly to the statement calling it incorrect. In defence of her government’s decision, she said that the PM had apprised her after he held conversation with his Pakistan counterpart Mr Nawaz Sharif. Praising Mr Modi’s decision, she said, “I told him that it would be an ‘out of the box initiative’ and he should go to Lahore”.

“After he spoke to PM Sharif, PM Modi had called me to seek my opinion on his visit to Lahore. Had I been in Parliament today, I would have given him an answer right then and there,” Mrs Swaraj said reacting to Mr Gandhi’s statement.

As the Parliament faces stormy budget session, the opposition is accusing the government of “setting the agenda for disruption”. The parliament is divided on a host issues ranging from GST Bill to police crackdown on JNU campus.

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