Diplomacy is not a take-away joint: Congress to PM Narendra Modi

New Delhi, Sep 21: Criticising the Narendra Modi government's policy towards Pakistan and China, Congress on Sunday said diplomacy is not a "take away joint" and asked the Prime Minister to take the country into confidence before working on any "strategic alliance" with the US.

Talking about Modi's foreign policy, Congress spokesperson and former External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid said it is too early to pass a judgement one way or the other but "won't give high marks right away".

"If you take handling of Pakistan, I think it is very clear that his impression was he would just say something and Pakistan would do it. That is not how diplomacy works.

"Pakistan is a difficult country. And Pakistan has given us lot of troubles and to expect that Pakistan will just click its heels and say... is not something you should have expected. You should have taken far greater care, far greater sense of planning," Khurshid told in a TV interview.

India had called off the Foreign Secretary level meeting with Pakistan after their High Commissioner to New Delhi Abdul Basit met with Kashmiri separatist leaders even though the Modi government had warned him against it. Khurshid said he was amazed that the government did not think it would work out in this manner.

"Should they have not anticipated? Should they not have considered that this is the likely move that Pakistan will make? We can't be caught off guard and then pretend that we are brave," he said.

The former minister said Modi thinks it is like going to a "take away joint and think that if you just put the cash there, you will get what you want".

"It does not happen like that in diplomacy. Diplomacy is a far more complicated thing. Diplomacy is a far more strenuous thing and just to think that I can win an election in India and can win everybody across the globe... not so easy," Khurshid said.

PTI