A day after Minister of State for External Affairs General (retd) VK Singh attended the Pakistan Day function here on Monday, Congress on Tuesday said other minister in the past had refused to attend such events.
Shortly after representing the Government at the national day reception at the Pakistan High Commission, which kicked up a storm, Singh had issued a series of intriguing tweets defining “disgust” and “duty”, indicating that he may have been unhappy at being deputed to it.
Taking a jibe at it, Congress leader Manish Tewari on Tuesday tweeted that if Singh is so disgusted with double standards of his own government on Pakistan, he should quit.
Manish Tewari @ManishTewari
If Mr#duty#Disgust is so disgusted with double standards of his govt on Pak he should quit? Other Min in past refused to attend PAK EVENTS!
“When duty becomes a burden, the honourable thing to do is to put in your papers. After all, he was worn a uniform and knows what Pakistan has done over the past two decades: sponsor terrorism. He is under no obligation to perform a duty which disgusts him,” Tewari later told a news agency.
Meanwhile, Janata Dal (United) leader KC Tyagi pointed out that the common minimum programme of the PDP-BJP government in Jammu and Kashmir has dialogues with the Hurriyat as one of its points.
” VK Singh is wrong. The Jammu and Kashmir government’s common minimum programme includes a provision to hold talks with the Hurriyat, as well as with Pakistan,” he said.
Responding to Tewari’s jibe, BJP leader Subramanian Swamy tweeted:
Subramanian Swamy @Swamy39
Why media and Congi want Gen Singh to quit his Ministership? Just because he is not a rubber stamp Ji Huzoors like Congi reptiles?
In a series of tweets late on Monday evening, VK Singh had posted a few of his views under the hashtags ‘duty’ and ‘disgust’.
Under ‘Duty’, he wrote: “A task or action that a person is bound to perform for moral or legal reasons”, “The force that binds one morally or legally to one’s obligations”, and “A job or service allocated”.
