'Where's the Wuhan spirit now?', asks Tharoor as China defends stand to blacklist Masood Azhar

New Delhi, Mar 14: After China's latest attempt to block the proposal of designating Pakistan-based terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed's chief Masood Azhar as a "global terrorist", the Opposition has raised questions over PM Narendra Modi's diplomatic stance with China. Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Thursday said that it can partly be blamed on the Indian government's diplomatic failure on listing Jaish chief Masood Azhar as global terrorist.

Tharoor said,''It's a poor reflection on our govt's ability to influence China. We heard so much about the 'Wuhan spirit' when @narendramodi went & walked in the garden with XI. Where's the Wuhan spirit now? Wasn't definitely not seen at security council.''

Tharoor, however, hit out at Beijing over the "technical block" they posed in the UN Security Council on Wednesday saying that "China is mollycoddling with terrorists."

Earlier in the day, Congress President Rahul Gandhi also attacked PM Modi's bonhomie with Chinese President XI Jinping, and called the PM 'weak', who is scared of Xi.

The Wuhan Summit held last year in April had delineated an amicable relationship between India and China after it had worsened during the 73-day Doklam military stand-off in 2017, with Modi and Xi agreeing on "prudent management of differences".

China for the fourth time once again blocked a proposal in the UN Security Council to enlist Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammad chief Masood Azhar as an international terrorist despite his outfit carrying out the ghastly Pulwama attack.

The proposal to designate Azhar under the 1267 Al Qaeda Sanctions Committee of the UN Security Council was moved by France, the UK and the US on February 27, days after a suicide bomber of the Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) killed 40 CRPF soldiers in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama. The proposal was the fourth such bid at the UN in the last 10 years to list Azhar as a global terrorist.