New Delhi: The Congress on Monday attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his “legacy” remarks in the UAE and alleged that he “has earned the dubious distinction of being the first world leader to berate and insult his predecessors on foreign soil”.
“I have got some problems in legacy. I cannot take only the good points and leave aside the problems... Some things were stalled due to the indecisiveness and lethargy of the governments (in the last)... It is my priority to kickstart those things,” Mr Modi said on Monday addressing business leaders of the country.
AICC spokesperson R.P.N. Singh said his (Mr Modi’s) statements — in Germany about India “begging earlier and will not beg any more”, in China that “earlier it was a misfortune to be born in India and shameful to be called an Indian — are “outrageous, a national insult and condemnable”.
Mr Singh said that it was indeed ironical that the BJP was claiming that Mr Modi was representing India on the world stage in a manner which has enhanced India’s prestige.
“Whenever the Prime Minister touches foreign soil, he seems to be losing his mental balance,” Mr Singh said, adding that “humiliating one’s own country on foreign soil is immature leadership”.
Speaking separately, another leader, Meem Afzal, said, “The Prime Minister should have maintained the dignity of the high office he holds. There is no problem if he targets previous governments when he is in the country. But he should have refrained from doing so on foreign soil.”
Mr Singh said India’s engagement with the world and position on contemporary issues need to be addressed with maturity.
“The Congress would like to remind the Modi sarkar that statecraft and diplomacy are both complex and sensitive,” he said.
“These visits cannot be reduced to event management or personal projections as an icon,” Mr Singh added.
