Cong slams govt over calling off talks with Pak

Attacking the government over calling off talks with Pakistan, Congress today said it was first in a "sonorous slumber" and then resorted to "kneejerk reaction" and wondered why the decision was taken first to hold foreign secretary-level talks.

Addressing a press conference at the AICC, former Commerce Minister Anand Sharma said the question is not why they cancelled the talks.

"The question is why they started it in the first place. They have followed an opaque and incoherent foreign policy towards Pakistan," he said.

Noting that there has to be a consistent and coherent policy, Sharma said, "BJP and Modi had taken an extreme view on our relations with Pakistan and had been castigating the UPA every now and then.

"Composite dialogue was not restored after India suspended it after Mumbai terror attacks. We wonder what was the basis and understanding due to which the decision to initiate such a dialogue was taken," he said.

Congress leader Manish Tewari said the Modi government has "completely walked itself into a corner".

"So they first agreed to talk to Pakistan, that also in Islamabad, notwithstanding all this background. The government was in sonorous slumber and when there was a protest, it woke up and indulged in a knee-jerk reaction.

"Now with the separatists challenging the government and the Pakistan High Commissioner cocking a dare at the government that they are still going ahead with their proposed interactions, what does Government of India do the next? What is the strategy of the Government of India towards Pakistan," Tewari asked.

He also wondered why Modi did not react earlier when there was "enough provocation from Pakistan".

Regarding the Hurriyat leaders' meeting with Pakistani High Commissioner, he said, "Hurriyat is neither a representative of Kashmiri people nor a democratic organisation".