General VK Singh should quit instead of expressing disgust: Manish Tewari

New Delhi: 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.

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! — Manish Tewari (@ManishTewari) March 24, 2015

"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:

Why media and Congi want Gen Singh to quit his Ministership? Just because he is not a rubber stamp Ji Huzoors like Congi reptiles? — Subramanian Swamy (@Swamy39) March 24, 2015

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".

Under 'Disgust', he posted "To sicken or fill with loathing", and "To offend the moral sense, principles, or taste of".

As some sections of the media speculated that these tweets were a kind of rebellion by the minister who was asked by the government to attend the event, Singh again posted: "'Disgust'ed to see how certain sections of the media are twisting this issue."

Singh attended the event where several Kashmiri separatist leaders including Mirwaiz Umer Farooq, Syed Ali Shah Geelani and Yaseen Malik were also present.

The minister's visit to the Pakistani High Commission came on a day India and Pakistan sparred over Hurriyat leaders' meeting Pakistani envoy Abdul Basit with government making it clear that there was no role for a third party.

Mirwaiz, chairman of Hurriyat Conference, along with Abdul Gani Bhat, Maulana Abbas Ansari, Bilal Gani Lone, Aga Syed Hassan, Mussadiq Adil and Mukhtar Ahmad Waza had held talks with Basit on Sunday night.

Basit, who invited them to the Pakistan National Day celebrations, said that India was not against these interactions. However, India hit out, saying "the Government of India prefers to speak for itself".

(With Agency inputs)