Union Minister for Urban Development, Housing and Poverty Alleviation M. Venkaiah Naidu on Saturday took serious exception to the statements of Pakistan's National Assembly Member Awais Ahmed Khan Leghari against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and asserted that Pakistan had no moral right to make such comments.
Interacting with the media on the sidelines of the infrastructure summit – Suminfra 2014, organised by Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) in Tirupati on Saturday, Mr. Naidu termed the statement as 'unacceptable' and said that they have no business to make such remarks against the leadership of India.
“Mr. Leghari had pointed out that Narendra Modi was looking at a brochure during Nawaz Sharif's speech at the SAARC summit, which accentuated Modi's negative view in Pakistan. Can he answer where his Prime Minister was looking when Pakistan-sponsored terrorist outfits were creating havoc along the borders, as well as in the country?” Mr. Naidu asked.
He further alleged that Pakistan was trying to destabilise the country's economy and several other developmental aspects by aiding and abetting terrorism. “Since ancient times, India has no history of aggression against any country. With fingers pointed at it, Pakistan is in no position to preach us,” he retorted.
On the recurrent tensions at the border, Mr. Naidu opined that such issues would distract a nation from focusing on critical issues pertaining to development and advised the neighbour to observe restraint. He also demanded that senior Congress Leader Mani Shankar Aiyar, who is leading the Indian delegation during the sixth round of Pakistan-India Parliamentary Dialogue, to elucidate his stance on the issue, along with the Congress Party.
