No mediation request by PM Modi: Jaishankar on Trump’s claim

Amid a massive controversy over US President Donald Trump’s claim on Kashmir mediation, India Tuesday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi never made any such request to the US leader and reiterated that Kashmir is a bilateral issue.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said in Rajya Sabhathat all outstanding issues between India and Pakistan can be discussed onlybilaterally, thereby ruling out any third party mediation.

   

“I would like to categorically state that no suchrequest has been made by the Prime Minister to the US President,” he saidafter Congress and other opposition parties raised the issue of the claim madeby Trump in his meeting with visiting Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan inWashington on Monday.

He said it has been the consistent position of India thatall outstanding issues with Pakistan can be discussed only bilaterally.”Any engagement with Pakistan will require an end to cross borderterrorism,” he said, adding Shimla and Lahore accords signed between Indiaand Pakistan provide the basis for resolution of all issues bilaterally.

Jaishankar noted that on Monday the US President had in histalks with Khan stated that he is ready to mediate on the Kashmir issue, ifrequested.

“No such request was made to the US President,” hesaid adding his statement on the floor of the House should leave no confusionin minds of countrymen.

Earlier, Chairman Naidu said he has received notice underRule 267, requiring suspension of business of the day, from Congress deputyleader Anand Sharma and CPI’s D Raja.

Naidu said he is not admitting the notice but consideringits importance he would allow it to be raised in form of a Zero Hour mention towhich the External Affairs Minister would like to respond.

But before that the country should be seen as speaking inone voice on the sensitive issue of national importance, Naidu said.

Sharma said Trump had in comments aired on television,stated that Prime Minister of India had at the recent G20 meeting in Osaka inJapan sought his mediation.  “India’sposition has been consistent and clear on Pakistan and other Kashmir has alwaysmaintained that it will not accept third party mediation in purely bilateralissue,” he added.

Oppn demands Modi’s response, Rahul says ‘weak’ MEA denialwon’t do

Meanwhile, the Opposition, led by the Congress, on Tuesdaydemanded a clarification from Prime Minister Narendra Modi on US PresidentDonald Trump’s stunning claim that the leader had requested him to mediate onthe Kashmir dispute.

If what Trump claims is true, Modi has betrayed India’sinterests, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said, a sentiment backed by severalOpposition leaders who spoke out in Parliament and outside.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar made a statement onthe floor of both Houses of Parliament and strongly rejected Trump’s commentduring a meeting with Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan in Washington.

On Monday night, the Ministry of External Affairs issued astrong denial, saying it has been India’s consistent position that all outstandingissues with Pakistan are discussed only bilaterally.

Opposition parties were, however, not satisfied and wantedModi to come to both the Houses and clarify.

Gandhi also asserted that a “weak” foreignministry denial wouldn’t do and the prime minister must tell the nation whattranspired in the meeting between him and the US president.

The issue rocked the Rajya Sabha and the Lok Sabha withfrequent disruptions as Opposition members vociferously put forth their demand.

As soon as the Lower House met for the day, members from theCongress and some other Opposition parties were on their feet shouting slogansover the issue.

Later, when Zero Hour began, Congress’ Manish Tewarisaid  the prime minister himself shouldclarify since Trump’s statement is serious.

Echoing him, AIADMK’s T R Baalu said Modi should personallymake a statement since the issue involved him.

When Jaishankar rose to make a statement, it was drowned inprotests by the entire opposition. The opposition then walked out ofproceedings.

In the Upper House, too, there were heated exchanges betweenopposition benches and Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu, who adjourned proceedings.The Rajya Sabha was repeatedly adjourned amid opposition uproar over Trump’scomment.

The Congress welcomed the government’s reiteration ofIndia’s ‘no third party involvement’ stand on the Kashmir issue but asked whyModi was “mum” over Trump’s claim.

The US president’s remarks “relate to a meeting betweenhim and PM Modi, wherein our PM had asked him to mediate”, Congress’ chiefspokesperson Randeep Surjewala said in a tweet.

“Why is PM ‘mum’ on what transpired between the twoheads of states, more so when it affects our sovereignty?” Surjewalaasked.

In another tweet, he tagged the remarks of Trump put out bythe White House.

“Now, ‘Whitehouse’ puts up @POTUS assertion in ‘black& white’ that PM Modi asked him to ‘mediate on Kashmir’!” he said

“When will our PM ‘wake up’ & call the bluff ifPresident Trump is lying? Or Did PM Modi ask @POTUS to mediate?” Surjewalawondered.

A day after he said that he does not think Trump had”the slightest idea” of what he was talking about when he made theclaim, senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor remarked, “I did not say thePM didn’t need to explain himself to Parliament, of which he is a member &to which he is accountable”.

“On the contrary, while I’m prepared to believe it’simpossible our PM could say this, he needs to clarify it himself in Parliament,since Trump cited him personally,” the former Minister of State forExternal Affairs said.

Opposition leaders met in his colleague Ghulam Nabi Azad’schamber in Parliament and called for suspension of all business. They alsosought an explanation from the PM in both the Houses on Trump’s statement.

Various opposition leaders addressed a press conference onthe issue.

Flanked by Opposition leaders, including CPI’s D Raja, NCP’sMajeed Menon, DMK’s Tiruchi Siva, SP’s Ramgopal Yadav and AAP’s Sanjay Singh,Azad said his party was ready to believe the prime minister’s side of the storybut he should clarify the issue on the floor of the House.

Trump, the leader of opposition in the Rajya Sabha added,was unlikely to have made the remarks in jest.

“No matter which government was in power at Centre inpast, our foreign policy has been that Kashmir is bilateral issue and no thirdparty can intervene and President Trump knows it, I don’t think President Trumpwould tell Pakistan’s PM that India’s PM has asked the US to mediate,”Azad said.

The Trinamool Congress’ Derek O’Brien said his party wantsthe prime minister to make a statement on the issue to clear the air.

“Along with all opposition parties, we, Trinamool, havea simple demand. The PM of India has to come to Parliament, make a statementand clear the air,” he said.

Trump claims that Modi asked him to mediate on the Kashmirissue when they met in Osaka, Japan, on the sidelines of the G-20 Summit lastmonth.

“If I can help, I would love to be a mediator. If I cando anything to help, let me know,” Trump said in response to a question,adding he is ready to help, if the two countries ask for it.

“I was with Prime Minister Modi two weeks ago and wetalked about this subject (Kashmir). And he actually said, ‘would you like tobe a mediator or arbitrator?’ I said, ‘where?’ (Modi said) ‘Kashmir’,”Trump said

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