Days after former Pakistan Minister Fawad Chaudhry praised Rahul Gandhi and made comments on the Lok Sabha elections in India, Union Minister Hardeep Puri on Monday asked him to focus on his own country which can’t even maintain power supply to people.
“They are taking a side in our election. Apne apko ko theek karo, 8 baje ke baad bijli band kar dete ho (you fix your own country, you shut power supply after 8),” he said in a podcast with ANI’s Smita Prakash.
Hardeep Puri was referring to Pakistan’s move in June last year when the cash-strapped country decided to shut markets and commercial centres by 8 pm daily to conserve energy. The move was part of austerity measures adopted at the time when Islamabad was staring at default.
Pakistan’s former minister Fawad Chaudhry has in recent days made a series of comments on the Indian elections and said he would support Rahul Gandhi or any other opposition leader who could defeat Prime Minister Narendra Modi. In a tweet on May 4, he praised Rahul Gandhi for his “wealth distribution” idea.
“Rahul sahib in his last night speech said 30 or 50 families Owns 70% of India wealth so is in Pakistan where only a business club called Pak Buisness Council and few real estate Seth’s own 75% of Pak wealth..fair distribution of wealth is biggest challenge of capitalism,” he said.
When asked about Chaudhry’s repeated comments, Puri said Pakistan is taking sides in India’s elections. “Pakistan and India – two countries born from the womb of the same mother in 1947. Aap pahuch gaye chanda mama ke south pole par, you’re preparing for other feats – and Pakistan today is facing a severe crisis,” he said referring to India’s success with Chandryaan-3.
The union minister said New Delhi was right in having any talks with Pakistan when the latter was still supporting cross-border terrorism. “When a country has decided and announced that it will use terrorism or terror as an instrument of state policy and they’re sponsoring cross-border terrorism against you – you should not be talking to them. Because they legitimise their attitude on the global stage and say – ‘you can do acts of terror and still Indians will talk to you’. With Pakistan, I think we are doing the right thing now. We tried all other things believe me.”