New Delhi, Feb 21 (UNI) The opposition Congress party on Friday cautioned the government that the visit of President Donald Trump to the country next week "should not become an extension of US election campaign."
"Such tours should be serious, not limited to photos ops or PR exercise", senior Congress leader and party spokesperson Anand Sharma said, addressing mediapersons at AICC headquarters.
"India and US have a strategic relationship. Congress understands Indo-US relations and supports it. This visit by the US President is important for both countries - in terms of partnership and cooperation in the fields of defense, economy, nuclear energy, space, agriculture and technology", said Mr Sharma.
However, some recent events have cast a shadow on Indo-US relationship. "US abolished the Generalised System of Preference (GSP) despite being in an important partnership with India. This eliminates the opportunity for goods produced in India to enter the US market at low costs", he said.
"As Mr Trump has said, he has a good relationship with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and will be welcomed by 50-70 lakh people, we hope that the pending issues of the country like H1B1 visa, GSP etc will be resolved".
Mr Sharma said that three things that need to be kept in mind in this visit are- sovereignty, self-respect and national interest of India.
Referring to "Howdy Modi" event in Texas and "Namaste India" in Ahmedabad, Mr Sharma said that the US president's visit should not become an extension of US election campaign for the Indian diaspora vote.
"We do not become an active party in the elections in the another country. This mistake was made in the Texas at 'Howdy Mody' event. So the Prime Minister should be careful that these are setting wrong precedents", he added.
On Thursday, the government said it was wrong to see the event in such light. 'We don’t view the address by both leaders directly intended to influence the politics of US,' external Affairs ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said, adding that several bilateral issues would be taken up during the visit.
About construction of wall to keep slums out of sight along the route in Ahmedabad, Mr Sharma said, poor have been insulted for the reception of President Trump.
"Poverty covered by building a wall. This is the mindset of the BJP government," he commented.
The Congress spokesperson also referred to the government claim that the visit is being managed by Nagrik Abhinandan Samiti and asked, "Is Mr Trump, coming to India at the invitation of this committee? When was this committee formed, when did registration take place, where did so much money come from?".
He further said the reality was that all the money belongs to the Union government and Gujarat and the state government has given all approvals.
"Motera Stadium has been hired, artists from all over India are coming. It's not under control of a committee. Special grant has been given to Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation. We don't mind, but the government should not lie," he said.
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