By IANS,
New Delhi: The Congress Wednesday said the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) owes an answer to its Rajya Sabha member Ram Jethmalani, who said it was “churlish” to accuse the interlocuters of internationalising the Kashmir issue.
“First, the BJP should give reply to what Jethmalani has said. They should follow and take lessons from his advice,” Congress spokesman Manish Tewari said.
Jethmalani Tuesday said it was “childish and churlish” to accuse the government’s interlocutors of internationalising the Jammu and Kashmir dispute simply by suggesting that Pakistan should be involved in the talks.
The BJP tried to dissociate itself from Jethmalani’s remark Tuesday, saying that the party does not subscribe to his views.
BJP spokesman Prakash Javedakar Wednesday refused to answer questions whether disciplinary action would be taken against Jethamalani for speaking against the party’s official position.
“The party has already said that it does not subscribe to his views,” Javadekar maintained.
He said that the interlocutors should be discreet in their utterances and should not give a running commentary.
The BJP leader also opposed the meeting between two interlocutors – senior journalist Dileep Padgaonkar and academician Radha Kumar – and jailed militants.