Minister of State, VK Singh has come under fire from the media as well as the opposition for attending an event to commemorate Pakistan Day along with leaders from the Kashmiri Separatist alliance, the Hurriyat Conference.
On being asked to respond to Manish Tiwari’s tweet suggesting he quit, VK Singh said that Tiwari should try to understand the issue before commenting.
“ Manish Tiwari is welcome to keep his advice to himself,” Singh added.
Manish Tiwari, had earlier on Monday posted a tweet suggesting VK Singh quit if he was so disgusted with his government’s double standards:
VK Singh had yesterday posted a number of tweets with Disgust and Duty as hash tags and their definitions alongside those hash tags.
The former Army Chief held a press conference late in the evening to clarify the matter.
“My tweets [on Disgust] were directed at those sections of the media that questioned the intent of my government and its stance on countering Pakistan sponsored terrorism”, he said.
My tweet on the definition of duty was clearly to tell all what it implies to be a soldier and a disciplined party
– VK Singh, Minister of States for External Affairs
Unusually, VK Singh’s statement came hours after he refused to clarify to the media what he had meant by the tweets saying that no explanation was owed to anybody. This sudden U-turn in expressing opinions could hint towards the fact that he was pushed to make a statement by senior BJP leaders.
There was nothing new in attending the dinner at Pakistan’s High Commission, including attendance by Separatists who have been there year after year
— VK Singh, Minister of State for External Affairs
The Minister also said in his statement that attending Pakistan Day celebrations at the Pakistan High Commission in Delhi is a part of the protocol for every Minister of State for External Affairs.
He added that it was a matter of diplomatic civility for a country’s representatives to attend such functions hosted by envoys and embassies of other countries.
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