The Bharatiya Janata Party Wednesday credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the United Nations designating Jaish-e-Muhammad chief Masood Azhar as a global terrorist, saying India is in safe hands under him.
“India stands vindicated. Masood Azhar is now a globalterrorist. India is in safe hands. This marks a high point for the primeminister’s foreign policy,” senior BJP leader and Finance Minister ArunJaitley said.
Calling it a “historic success” for India, the BJPused one of its Lok Sabha election slogans, ‘Modi hai to mumkin hai’ (It ispossible if Modi is there), as it reacted to what is being seen as a majordiplomatic win for the country.
With the BJP making nationalism a key plank of its campaign,the party is set to highlight the development for political dividends in theelection season.
While BJP leaders rushed to give credit to the government,some opposition leaders, including Shashi Tharoor of the Congress, referred toreports that references to the Pulwama attack and violence in Kashmir weredropped by the UN.
“Well that kind of deflates our satisfaction. If MasoodAzhar wasn’t blacklisted at last because of Pulwama, then it logically has tobe for all his previous sins. So is China admitting they erred in shielding himfor 10 years and he was a terrorist pre-Pulwama too?” Tharoor said.
Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullahtweeted, “Is this true that the listing of Masood Azhar as a globalterrorist was only possible because all references to Pulwama & terrorismin Kashmir were dropped?”
Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav congratulated theIndian diplomatic corp for the tireless work that led to this “significantvictory”.
“We demand Pakistan immediately arrest him, freeze hisassets and shutdown all organisations linked to him,” he said.
Union minister Prakash Javadekar said it is a “bigdiplomatic victory for India under Modi in the fight against terrorism.Pakistan now stands completely exposed.”
The BJP general secretary Ram Madhav said, “Let’s hopethe Pak government will at least now act against this designated globalterrorist,” he tweeted.