PM's eagerness to meet Nawaz Sharif shows 'weak' India: Narendra Modi

Speaking at a rally from another replica of the Red Fort here, Bharatiya Janata Party’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi on Thursday attacked the UPA-led Central Government for agreeing to continue talks with Pakistan, and said that Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh’s meeting with his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif will send an image of a weakened India to the world.

“Is this the time for the Prime Minister to be in a hurry to talk to Pakistan?” Modi asked the gathered crowd who responded in Tamil with a vehement “no."

“Obama refused to go to Russia as Russia gave asylum to Snowden whom US considered anti-national. This showed Obama's strength,” Modi added.

“Mr. Prime Minister, the country wants to know - what is your priority? Is it national pride and respecting the blood of martyrs or is it to show eagerness to talk to Pakistan under pressure from other countries?” Modi asked.

Modi said that India would be labeled as a soft state for pursuing talks at a time of multiple incidents along the Line of Control (LoC), and the most-recent militant infiltration attack on India which left eight people dead earlier today.

“It pains and angers me when I think that more jawans have been killed in terrorist attacks than during wars. …Are we so weak and helpless that anyone can come and do anything with us and we do nothing?” Modi asked.

Earlier today, Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh condemned the militant strike on army and police camps in Jammu and Kashmir, but said it would not succeed in derailing efforts at peace through dialogue with Pakistan.

In a statement, Dr. Singh said: "No words are strong enough to condemn the heinous terrorist attack on Hiranagar Police Station and the Army camp at Samba in Jammu and Kashmir this morning. I convey my heartfelt condolences to the families of the brave army and police officers, as well as the innocent civilians martyred in this cowardly attack.

Asserting that this is one more in a series of provocations and barbaric actions by the enemies of peace, Dr. Singh said: "We are firmly resolved to combat and defeat the terrorist menace that continues to receive encouragement and reinforcement from across the border.

"Such attacks will not deter us and will not succeed in derailing our efforts to find a resolution to all problems through a process of dialogue," he added.

The attack comes a day after Manmohan Singh left for the U.S. yesterday, where he is scheduled to meet his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif on Sunday for talks.

India’s relations with Pakistan has been strained ever since August 6, when the Pakistani Army ambushed five Indian soldiers in Poonch District of Jammu and Kashmir. Since then, Pakistan has violated the ceasefire along the LoC multiple times, causing heightened tension between the two countries.