'Don't Know Why BJP Is Attacking Vajpayee': Shashi Tharoor Amid Backlash Over Musharraf Tweet

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor sought to ask BJP that if Musharraf was anathema to all patriotic Indians, why did the BJP Government sign the joint Vajpayee-Musharraf statement of 2004?

Former Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf (L) shakes hands with former Prime Minister of India Atal Bihari Vajpayee during a peace talk at the latter's residence in New Delhi in April 2005. ( Image Source :AFP )

Congress's Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor on Monday hit back at the BJP for the saffron party's attack on him over a tweet on former Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf's death. Tharoor on Monday took a dig at the BJP, saying that the party was attacking itself.

Tharoor on Sunday had said that Musharraf was "once an implacable foe of India" and that "he became a real force for peace 2002-2007". The Congress MP further said he met the Pakistani dictator during that time at the United Nations meetings, where he found Musharraf to be "smart, engaging & clear in his strategic thinking".

Reacting to this, the BJP tried to portray him as a Pakistani sympathizer by accusing him of praising the "architect of Kargil, dictator, and an accused of heinous crimes". BJP leader Shehzad Poonawalla said that this showed Congress's "devotion to Pakistan".

Hitting back at the BJP on Monday, Tharoor said after the Kargil war, former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who was from the BJP, issued a joint statement with Pervez Musharraf. He further said that Vajpayee even shook hands with Musharraf.

"Musharraf was an absolute implacable enemy of ours, who was responsible for the Kargil war. But after 2002, it was a different story. The BJP government of PM Vajpayee negotiated a ceasefire with Pakistan. There was also a joint statement with a handshake by Vajpayee and Musharraf," he was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.

He took a dig at the BJP, saying: "I Don't know why the BJP wants to attack their own PM for their policies. When Musharaff passed away, I recalled both — that he was an implacable enemy and that for four years thereafter, he worked for peace. If they want to attack Vajpayee, I leave it to the BJP. We're too polite to attack Vajpayee."

The former Pakistan President passed away at the age of 79 in Dubai after a prolonged illness. According to Pakistan's Geo News, Musharraf had been undergoing treatment for an ailment at American Hospital Dubai. He was suffering from Amyloidosis.