NCP chief Sharad Pawar questions silence of Rajnath Singh, Jaishankar over Blinken`s remarks on `abuses in India`

Earlier on Monday, Antony Blinken said the United States was monitoring what he described as a rise in `human rights abuses` in India by some officials.

Mumbai: Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) President Sharad Pawar questioned Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar for not rebutting United State Secretary of State Antony Blinken`s remarks on `human rights abuses` in India, at a joint presser in the United States. 

A statement by the NCP on Wednesday flayed the two Union ministers and said that Blinken did not elaborate, while Singh and Jaishankar, who spoke after Blinken at the briefing, did not comment on the human rights issue. 

Sharad Pawar is quoted by ANI as saying, "Talking about the problems of the country brings disrepute to the country. If something wrong is happening in the country, then it should be stopped rather than talking about it in front of others."

In a rare direct rebuke to New Delhi by Washington on Monday, Blinken said the United States was monitoring what he described as a rise in "human rights abuses" in India by some officials. 

In a joint press briefing with US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin, Jaishankar and Rajnath Singh, Blinken reportedly said, "We regularly engage with our Indian partners on these shared values (of human rights) and to that end, we are monitoring some recent concerning developments in India including a rise in human rights abuses by some government, police and prison officials."

Blinken`s remarks came days after US Representative llhan Omar questioned the alleged reluctance of the US government to criticize Prime Minister Narendra Modi`s government on human rights. 

Third Front not possible without Congress: Pawar

Amid efforts by opposition parties to forge a united front against the BJP for the next Lok Sabha elections, NCP chief Sharad Pawar on Wednesday said that Third Front is not possible without the Congress.

"The Third Front is not possible without Congress. It is still the second biggest party in the country that is why it is important to take them along," Pawar was quoted by ANI as saying.

Some opposition leaders including West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee have called for opposition unity for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. 

Earlier, Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao had also met Pawar and Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray as part of efforts towards opposition unity. 

'No need to take Raj Thackeray seriously'

The NCP chief also cleared his stance on Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray`s allegations against himself and said that there was no need to take Thackeray seriously. 

In a press conference in Mumbai on Wednesday, Pawar said,"There is no need to take Raj Thackeray seriously, he speaks once in 5 months, two-three things he said about me that I do not take Shivaji Maharaj`s name, two days back in Kolhapur, I already spoke on Shivaji Maharaj in my speech for 15 minutes."

In response to Thackeray`s allegations, Pawar said, "I am not an atheist, just do not pretend, some people are trying to incite religious sentiments," adding that Raj Thackeray does not speak a single word against Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in his speeches the way he talks about unemployment and inflation.

Raj Thackeray accused Sharad Pawar of doing casteist politics by calling him an atheist. 

Earlier, Thackeray had asked the state government to remove the loudspeakers from mosques and warned of "putting loudspeakers in front of the mosques and play Hanuman Chalisa." 

(With Agency Inputs)