The Congress on Thursday suggested that the release of five Indian fishermen by Sri Lanka happened because of the respect which India commands internationally, and therefore, refused to give credit to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
"Well the fact is that the Sri Lankan government is a sovereign government. If they have taken a decision to release Indian fishermen, it is obviously a welcome decision. But, for the BJP to pat itself on the back or to credit the Prime Minister, is bit of a stretch. After all, Indian diplomacy or India's clout within the region is not something which started on the 26th of May, 2014, it predates or it backdates the current administration by years and decades," Congress leader and former union minister Manish Tewatri told ANI here.
" It is India's intrinsic resilience, India's strength, the respect which we have not only in the region but around the world, which ensures that foreign governments are sensitive to India's concerns. And this kind of back patting or trying to credit 'A' individual or 'B' individual is the complete antithesis of what foreign policy is," he added.
The BJP had earlier described the decision taken by Colombo as arising out of the great positioning of India internationally under the pioneering leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The five fishermen from Tamil Nadu will reach home today. The five fishermen - Emerson, P Augustus, R Wilson, K Prasath and J Langlet-were arrested in 2011 and held guilty of drug trafficking.
According to reports, the Sri Lankan authorities decided to release the five fishermen from Tamil Nadu after Prime Minister Modi intervened in the matter and spoke to President Mahinda Rajapaksa of the island nation. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister O. Paneerselvam had earlier urged the Prime Minister's direct intervention to ensure the release of fishermen. The Colombo High Court had earlier on October 30 sentenced the five fishermen to death on charges of smuggling 995 grams of heroin.
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