Congress slams Ireland envoy over reaction to editorial on PM: ‘Disgraceful’

The Congress said it was “unprofessional and disgraceful” on the part of the Indian Ambassador to Ireland to attack the Opposition while responding to allegations against Prime Minister Narendra Modi in an editorial in The Irish Times.

Congress’s communications in-charge Jairam Ramesh said attacking opposition parties openly “like a party apparatchik” was not expected from an Ambassador, referring to envoy Akhilesh Mishra. An apparatchik refers to someone who works for a government or a political party and always obeys orders.

“Defending the government of India is one thing and is to be expected. But to attack opposition parties openly in this manner like a party apparatchik is not expected from an Ambassador, even if he be a political appointment. This is unprofessional and disgraceful behaviour on his part – but is par for the Modi course I guess,” Jairam Ramesh tweeted.

On April 11, The Irish Times published an editorial on the upcoming Lok Sabha elections titled, ‘Modi tightens his grip’. In the editorial, the newspaper said an “intolerant Hindu-first majoritarianism is the order of the day”.

The editorial also compared PM Modi with Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan, saying, “Modi’s embrace of Hindu nationalism… has stoked anti-Muslim tensions and violence and seriously eroded the traditional Nehru-inspired secularism of its politics.”

Claiming that India’s democratic credentials were “severely tarnished”, the editorial accused PM Modi of a widespread crackdown on free speech and opposition parties.

The editorial cited the recent arrest of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal over a liquor policy case and the freezing of bank accounts of Congress, crippling its ability to campaign.

“95 per cent of its political cases have been filed against the opposition,” the editorial said.

Responding to the editorial, the Indian Ambassador to Ireland, Akhilesh Mishra, called it “highly biased and prejudiced”.

Mishra said the decision of the BJP government’s fight against the deeply entrenched ecosystem of corruption was a major factor behind the popularity of PM Modi.

“The fight against the deeply entrenched ecosystem of corruption (created by the 55-year-old rule, including the first 30 years, by a single dynastic party in India) is a major factor behind Modi’s ever-growing popularity,” he said.

The ambassador further said the anti-corruption drive was successful as the BJP government had given a free hand to the agencies.

“There is a huge sense of relief at the grass-root level to witness action being taken and recoveries made from the rich and powerful elites who operated with a sense of entitlement of impunity,” Mishra said in a statement posted on the Embassy’s X handle.

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