Rahul slams Modi on Hafeez Saeed's release

Rahul Gandhi on Saturday took a dig at Narendra Modi after Pakistan released 2008 Mumbai attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed from house arrest saying the prime minister's relationship with US President Donald Trump was failed "hugplomacy".

"Narendrabhai, baat nahi bani (things didn't work out). Terror mastermind is free. President Trump just de-linked Pak military funding from LeT. Hugplomacy fail. More hugs urgently needed," Rahul said on Twitter.

The BJP hit back at Rahul accusing him of siding with terrorists and wondering whether the Congress vice president had "congratulated Hafeez saheb" on his release from house arrest.

"Rahul baba, aadate nahin badli (your habits have not changed). For once, stand with the country & not with terrorists as is your habit. You are a known sympathiser of LeT. WikiLeaks & Ishrat Jahan case cover-up exposed your links. BTW, have you congratulated your 'Hafeez Saheb's' on his release yet," BJP spokesperson G V L Narasimha Rao said.

He was referring to a remark by AICC General Secretary Digvijay Singh who had  called the LeT boss  'Hafeez saheb'.

"Was it not on Family's orders that @PChidambaram_IN changed affidavits giving a clean chit to LeT operative Ishrat Jahan killed in assassination bid on @narendramodi ji? What was @INCIndia's motive in bailing out LeT, Ishrat ignoring NSA? Rahul, speak up," Rao said on Twitter.

The Congress vice president's remarks and the BJP retort came a day after Pakistan released Saeed, the founder of terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba, from house arrest.

Last week, the US Congress had also passed a bill that sought to de-link the activities of the Haqqani terrror network from that of the LeT.

Senior Congress leader Anand Sharma hit back at the BJP recalling the "sacrifices" of late prime minister Indira Gandhi and former prime minister late Rajiv Gandhi.

Sharma said it was Modi who went to Pakistan as a wedding guest and got the terror attack on the Pathankot airbase as a "gift".