India does not have meaningful dialogue with neighbours: Pawar slams foreign policy

New Indian Express

2 days ago

PUNE: NCP Chief Sharad Pawar on Tuesday criticised the BJP-led Union government's foreign policy, saying it has failed to create a conducive atmosphere for "meaningful dialogue" with neighbouring countries.
Speaking at the party convention held in Pune on the occasion of its 26th Foundation Day, Pawar said that India had good relations with its neighbours during the tenure of the country's first prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru.
"The party has never politicised issues related to national interest. After the Pahalgam terrorist attack, we chose not to criticise the government. Instead, we asserted that we would support any action taken by the Centre in response to the attack," he said.
Pawar said, "If one looks at the map of India, there is Pakistan and China to the north, and Bangladesh and Sri Lanka to the east and south, respectively. What is the current state of India's relations with these countries?" He said under Nehru's leadership, India had the distinction of taking all the neighbouring countries along.
"However, today, our relations with Pakistan and China have deteriorated. Bangladesh, which was formed with India's support, is not standing with us. As far as Sri Lanka is concerned, China's growing influence raises doubts about its alignment with India," the senior leader said.
"In a nutshell, we cannot confidently say that India currently has a meaningful dialogue with any of its neighbours. This reflects the leadership's failure to create a conducive atmosphere for meaningful dialogue. The country will have to pay a price for it," he added.
Pawar stressed that the NCP (SP) would not politicise the Phalgam issue, but affirmed that his party, along with the Congress and Left, would continue to work at the national level for the country's betterment.
The party's working president, Supriya Sule, who recently led a delegation to Egypt, Qatar, Ethiopia, and South Africa in the aftermath of Operation Sindoor, said leaders of these countries fondly remembered Mahatma Gandhi and recalled Nehru's visits and speeches.
"They remembered the leadership of Indira Gandhi as well. Even today, when we visit other countries, they speak highly of Modiji. But at the same time, they also talk about Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, and Indira Gandhi," she said.