PM's birthday diplomacy a failure: Gogoi

Guwahati, Jan 5: Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi today criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi's foreign policy and said the Pathankot attack had shown his "birthday diplomacy" was a "failure". "It happened inspite of Prime Minister Narendra Modi going to Pakistan.

His birthday diplomacy has totally failed," Gogoi told reporters here. Modi made a surprise visit to Lahore on his way back from Kabul to greet Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on his birthday on December 25 last.

"His (Modi's) new strategy of giving more importance to foreign policy ignoring internal policy has failed and it is also a clear failure of his foreign policy", he said.

"It has exposed the chinks in the country's security set up and called for overhaul of the security set up to foil the sinister designs of certain forces who are out to tear the territorial integrity of the country", Gogoi said.

"The Centre is inept at handling the security of the country in the border areas. After the Union Home minister had said the Air Force base was totally cleared of terrorists, two more terrorists were neutralised there," the chief minister said.

PTI