Modi Government staging 'public tamashas' in the name of NSG bid: Congress

New Delhi: Accusing the present Modi Government of indulging in 'public tamashas', the Congress Party on Friday dubbed the BJP-led NDA government as 'desperate' and accused the saffron party of allowing India into the NSG elite group, saying this kind of hectic campaigning was not required. "It is an embarrassment for India to do what was not required. When there are no obstacles when it comes to nuclear trade with the NSG countries, it was unnecessary. We do not know why India showed its desperation and allowed India to be equated with Pakistan on the issue of NSG membership," senior Congress spokesperson Anand Sharma told ANI. "It's high time that Prime Minister Narendra Modi realizes that diplomacy requires gravitas, depth, seriousness and not 'pubic tamashas'," he added. Sharma said that this kind of intense lobbying could be justified in case of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his government trying to get UN Security Council membership. "We have never seen diplomacy being conducted in a manner in which Prime Minister Modi and his government have done, making it very clear that whom you are lobbying with and whom you are petitioning with," he further said. Earlier today, China said that the NSG will not discuss its membership bid into the elite group, adding that New Delhi will first have to sign the NPT, as it is a must and a major criteria set up by the NSG. Speaking to ANI in Seoul, Director-General of the Arms Control Department of Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China Wang Qun asserted that India's membership has 'never ever' been on the agenda of the NSG and that there is no such agenda item for the two-day plenary, adding that there is no point of China opposing or supporting India as well as the membership of other countries. "One thing is clear that India's membership has never ever been taken up as an agenda item. In the two plenary sessions, there was no extraordinary session on this matter. There is no such agenda matter. In the caveat there could be observations and interventions but that's all," he said. Earlier, highly placed sources told ANI that China is not the sole opponent to India's member ship to the NSG, but Brazil, Austria, Ireland, Turkey and New Zealand too have opposed India's entry, citing it's not being a signatory of the NPT for nuclear weapons and weapons technology. Meanwhile, on a day on mixed developments for India Canada and Braxil have extended their complete support to New Delhi. According to sources, Brazil today supported India's bid but called for a common criteria for all non-NPT states. Brazil also said that India has by far a better nuclear proliferation record than Pakistan. However, in a complete shocker, Switzerland, who had earlier extended its complete support, has now opposed New Delhi's bid citing it being a non NPT state. This comes as a jolt for India as earlier, during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Switzerland, the European nation had extended its complete support.