Centre, BJP showing double standards in Alam row: Vasan

Chennai, Mar 10: Tamil Maanila Congress chief G K Vasan today accused the Union Government and the BJP of adopting double standards in the row over the release of separatist Masrat Alam in Jammu and Kashmir.

"People should realise that the BJP and the government run by it at the Centre are adopting double standards by taking one stance in Kashmir and another in Delhi," Vasan told reporters here. "In India, people are not ready to accept terrorism and separatism at any given point of time," he said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had said yesterday that Masrat Alam was released by the Jammu and Kashmir government without taking the Centre into confidence. The former Union Shipping Minister also flayed the remarks of Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickramasinghe that Indian fishermen may be shot if they intruded into Lankan waters.

"People holding responsible positions should not make such irresponsible comments. It is condemnable and unacceptable," Vasan said. Meanwhile, BJP Tamil Nadu unit chief Tamilisai Soundararajan said External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj had, during her recent visit to Sri Lanka, had strongly put forth India's views and comments by Wickramasinghe.

Replying to clarifications sought by members on the fishermen issue in the Rajya Sabha yesterday, Sushma Swaraj had said she "strongly placed before Sri Lankan PM Wickramasinghe in his territory that such remarks were improper and objectionable, which was not contradicted by them.

We are keeping a close eye on the issue," she said. Accusing the Congress, its erstwhile ally DMK and leaders like Vasan of inaction in the past over fishermen and Tamils issue, the BJP unit chief appealed to them to not politicise such issues.

"Please do not scuttle resolution of the issue and resultant benefits for Tamils in Sri Lanka and our fishermen by using this issue only for political mileage," she said. She detailed how the Centre was according top priority for arriving at an amicable solution for such issues.

PTI