Tharoor's sudden withdrawal has hurt Indian interests : BJP

New Delhi, Oct 5 (UNI) Taking note of the sudden withdrawal of Shashi Tharoor, India's nominee from the race for the UN's top job, the BJP today said that India committed mistakes right from the begining of the process and the government did not do its homework properly.

BJP Spokesman Prakash Javadekar said that the non passage of Indo-US Nuclear Treaty in the United States Senate, reduction of India's voting power in the International Monetary Fund and the cancellation of Nepalese Home Minister's visit were "serious setbacks" in the proper handling of foreign affairs in the proper manner. "The BJP expects the government to conduct diplomacy in the correct manner to ensure that Indian interests were not hurt in perpetuity,'' he noted.

He said to nominate Mr Tharoor for the post of UN Secretary General, India should have taken the Permanent members of the Security Council and other major countries into confidence as ultimate result would depend on them, adding this was not done.

''What was more surprising was that US did not back India's choice for the UN even after the bonhomie of so-called Nuclear Treaty.... Mr Tharoor's withdrawal from the race followed by silence on the part of Ministry of External Affairs spoke volume of this sordid saga and this had not helped India's standing in world comity, '' Mr Javadekar said.

The cancellation of Nepal Home Minister Krishna Prasad Sitoula's visit at a time when the two countries were to sign an extradition treaty pointed towards the growing influence of Maoists in Nepal and CPI-M on India, he alleged, noting no new date has been fixed for signing the treaty, thus putting on hold the national internal security interests as Pakistan's ISI and terrorist groups were using Nepal as a go between. "The twin influence of CPI-M and Maoists has taken its first toll", he said.

He said IMF decision to reduce India's voting rights was another set back for the diplomacy of the UPA government. China, Korea and Argentina are enhancing their share of voting rights. During the NDA regime, India had become a lending nation and this should be increased India's esteem on IMF platform but India got humiliated, he regretted.

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