Virtually ruling out an apology by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on 11 December charged former prime minister Manmohan Singh with defying the national line by meeting Pakistani diplomats, and demanded to know the context, relevance, and necessity of such a meet.
Terming the meeting a "political misadventure", Jaitley wanted Singh and the Congress to explain the context of attending the dinner hosted by suspended party leader Mani Shankar Aiyar for Pakistani diplomats.
It is surprising that Congress party expects the Prime Minister of India to apologise for raising an issue about a meeting, which they had initially denied.Finance Minister Arun Jaitley
He said the main Opposition party is expected to follow national policy, which states that terror and talks cannot go hand-in-hand. Jaitley said that if anyone defies the national line, they should be prepared to answer questions.
Is (the) main opposition party not part of the State? It is a political misadventure, it has a political cost.
Jaitley addressed a press conference hours after Singh asked the Prime Minister to apologise to the nation for setting a "dangerous precedent".
He wanted the former prime minister to explain what transpired at the meeting and went on to defend his government's track record of fighting terror, saying no government in the past has had a track record to equal this government in fighting terrorism.
In response to Singh's demand for apology, Jaitley further said that people who have violated the national policy of talks and terror not going hand-in-hand, should apologise.
(With inputs from PTI)
(Breathe In, Breathe Out: Are you finding it tough to breathe polluted air? Join hands with FIT to find #PollutionKaSolution. Send in your suggestions to fit@thequint.com or WhatsApp @ +919999008335)
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)