ongress Criticises Modi Government Over Engagement with Taliban

New Delhi, Oct. 12 — Congress MP and party communications chief Jairam Ramesh on Saturday sharply criticised the Modi government for its engagement with the Taliban, questioning how the BJP and its ideological affiliates would have reacted if a Congress government had done the same.

“Just imagine if a Congress government had engaged with the Taliban the way the Modi government has — what would have been the reaction of the BJP and its ecosystem?” Ramesh wrote in a post on X.

His remarks came amid the ongoing visit of Taliban’s acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi, who is in India from October 9 to 16. This marks the first high-level Taliban delegation to visit New Delhi since the group took control of Afghanistan in August 2021.

Muttaqi’s visit has sparked controversy after reports emerged that female Indian journalists were barred from attending a press conference held at the Afghan Embassy in New Delhi on Friday. The move drew sharp condemnation from opposition leaders, who accused the BJP of hypocrisy regarding women’s rights.

Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi also criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying, “Mr. Modi, when you allow female journalists to be excluded from a public forum, you are sending a message to every woman in India that you are too weak to stand up for them.”

“In our country, women have the right to equal participation in every space,” Gandhi added. “Your silence in the face of such discrimination exposes the hollowness of your slogans about women’s empowerment.”

Meanwhile, India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) clarified that it had no involvement in the press event addressed by Muttaqi. “The Ministry of External Affairs had no role in the press conference held yesterday in Delhi by the Afghan Foreign Minister,” the MEA said in an official statement.