Donald Trump’s statement in Washington DC drew sharp reactions within India. Moments after Donald Trump’s statement, Congress leader Shashi Tharoor said that Donald Trump had no clue about what he was talking about.
“I honestly don’t think Trump has the slightest idea of what he’s talking about. He has either not been briefed or not understood what Modi was saying or what India’s position is on 3rd-party mediation. That said, MEA should clarify that Delhi has never sought his intercession,” Shashi Tharoor tweeted.
Before MEA released a statement, other Opposition leaders, including former Jammu and Kashmir CM Omar Abdullah and Left leader Sitaram Yechury, demanded a clarification from the Indian government.
Read | PM MODI ASKED ME TO MEDITATE ON KASHMIR ISSUE: TRUMP TO IMRAN KHAN
“Personally I think @realDonaldTrump is talking out of his hat when he says @PMOIndia asked for US involvement in solving the Kashmir issue but I’d like to see @MEAIndia call Trump out on his claim,” Omar Abdullah said in a tweet.
Sitaram Yechury said: “What does this say about our long-held position of sovereignty over the Indian state of J&K, as defined in the Simla Agreement? Will our twitter-friendly PM have the courage to rebut the US President who has made a public statement?”
Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala, in his tweet, said that India has never accepted third party mediation in Jammu & Kashmir. “To ask a foreign power to mediate in J&K by PM Modi is a sacrilegious betrayal of the country’s interests. Let PM answer to the Nation!,” Surejewala said.
Ministry of External Affairs has also denied the claim made by the US President.
“We have seen @POTUS’s remarks to the press that he is ready to mediate, if requested by India & Pakistan, on Kashmir issue. No such request has been made by PM @narendramodi to US President. It has been India’s consistent position that all outstanding issues with Pakistan are discussed only bilaterally. Any engagement with Pakistan would require an end to cross border terrorism. The Shimla Agreement & the Lahore Declaration provide the basis to resolve all issues between India & Pakistan bilaterally,” the MEA spokesperson said on social media.