HYDERABAD : Union Minister M Venkaiah Naidu termed as “uncalled for and not in the national interest” a resolution passed today by the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Council on resumption of talks with Pakistan saying only Centre will take a call on the issue of bilateral dialogue with Islamabad.
The minister said the Council has set a “wrong precedent” by passing the resolution which impresses upon the State Government to urge Centre to resume the process of dialogue between India and Pakistan to ensure peace and stability in the sub-continent.
“That (the resolution) is totally uncalled for. Whom to talk, when to talk, that has to be decided by the country. It is not a local issue or a state issue. They (J-K Council) have set a wrong precedent.
“There is no need to pass a resolution. If at all the Chief Minister wants to convey something to the Centre, channels are always available. We should not make ourselves as if there are differences of opinion within the country. That will not send a positive message,” the Union Urban Development and Parliamentary Affairs Minister told reporters after launching the ‘Jan-Dhan Yojana’ here.
The unanimous resolution passed by the J-K Legislative Council earlier in the day says, “the State Government must urge the Union government to resume process of Indo-Pak dialogue to ensure peace and stability in the sub-continent in general and State of Jammu and Kashmir in particular.”
Asked if he sees any politics behind passing the resolution, Venkaiah said, “This (resolution) is not in the national interest. That much I can tell you. I don’t want to attribute any political motives and I am not trying to politicise the issue. But a party which has been in power, which was in power at the Centre and also ruling at the state, they must behave in a more responsible and mature way.
“There are ways always to communicate their feelings if any. This sort of a unusual step is not expected from a party which has been in power at the Centre and state for long”.
Meanwhile, BJP in J&K said the State Government and its Legislature are not entitled to framing foreign policy of the nation.
“The State Legislature, or for that matter, the State Government, are not entitled to framing foreign policy of the nation,” BJP spokesman Arun Kumar Gupta said in Jammu.
The state Legislature should desist from meddling in foreign affairs of the nation and not speak in a manner that it may appear to be out of sync with the Central government, the spokesman said.
“The Pakistan’s High Commissioner had been cautioned to desist from the meeting separatist leaders. Yet, he persisted and this clearly means that Pakistan chose its supporters, the Hurriyat leaders, over India,” he added.
All issues have to decided through bilateral parleys under the Simla agreement, he added.
Given this, the Central government did very well to send out a strong message to Pakistan that its hobnobbing with anti-India elements will not be tolerated as was done during the Congress regime, he added. (AGENCIES)
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