JOIN USAs the Congress appeared a divided lot over Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s reference to Balochistan, senior leader Anand Sharma said individual comments should not be misrepresented as the party lacking clarity in the stand it has to take.
Since Modi’s reference to Balochistan in the Independence Day address, Congress leaders have spoken in different voices. Former ministers Salman Khurshid, Kapil Sibal and Manish Tewari hit out at the prime minister for raking up the issue, arguing that it would give Pakistan a handle to corner India.
However, Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala issued a statement dubbing the senior leaders’ remarks as “personal views”, and wanted the Prime Minister to raise the Balochistan and PoK issue in bilateral talks with Pakistan and also at international forums.
Surjewala even circulated an internal note pointing out that the UPA, too, had voiced concerns over human rights violations in Balochistan and that Modi was not the first prime minister to do so.