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Updated December 5th, 2021 at 17:00 IST

BJP's Sirsa slams Navjot Sidhu for suggesting India open borders to trade with Pakistan

"Sidhu's intention is incorrect. Trade and brotherhood is not a bad thing but his purpose is only to please Pakistan and ISI," Manjinder Singh Sirsa said.

Reported by: Ananya Varma
Majinder Singh Sirsa, Navjot Sidhu
Image: PTI/ANI | Image:self
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Newly-inducted BJP leader Manjinder Singh Sirsa lashed out at Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) chief Navjot Singh Sidhu over his demand to open trade with Pakistan. Sirsa said Sidhu's 'intentions' were incorrect. Speaking to ANI, the BJP leader said that Sidhu was attempting to please Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan and the ISI.

"Sidhu's intention is incorrect. Trade and brotherhood is not a bad thing but his purpose is only to please Pakistan and ISI. He wants to give statements which make it to TVs in Pakistan. Later these statements reach the UN and are played up as 'citizens of India are demanding this'. It will be turned around as 'India is doing injustice to Pakistan'. This kind of message is trying to be sent by Pakistan via Sidhu. And Sidhu's purpose is to talk the language of ISI and Imran Khan (sic)", said Sirsa.

The BJP leader also commented on Congress MP Manish Tewari's scathing attack at Sidhu. 

"When a senior Congress leader Manish Tewari is calling his own leader useless and infertile, then what else can I say. He just forgot to add that Sidhu is also an unguided missile. He is a man that jumps unnecessarily. He only dreams of the CM's seat but Sidhu will not replace Channi as the CM. That will not happen. The competition in Punjab polls is on who is the biggest nautanki. Both Kejriwal and Sidhu are competing in this," Sirsa said.

Lashing out at his Congress peer, Manish Tewari had asserted that there could be no trade with Pakistan amid its relentless infiltration attempts on Indian territory. Disagreeing with Sidhu, he stated that till Pakistan does not stop smuggling narcotics into India via drones, trade-related talks could not be held.

Sidhu seeks Indo-Pak trade talks again

On Saturday, Sidhu highlighted the scope of India-Pakistan trade and urged the country to open its border with Pakistan for trade and commerce. Downplaying infiltration attempts, he said that trade between the two countries would not just benefit Pakistanis but also Indians. Sidhu had first voiced this demand when he visited the Kartarpur Gurudwara in Pakistan after the corridor re-opened.

"Scope of India-Pakistan trade is over 37 Billion US Dollars," Navjot Singh Sidhu said. Further stating that Pakistani infiltrators will keep coming to India through the porous borders, the Punjab Congress president added, "Why not open it so that trade becomes possible and prosperity comes?"

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Published December 5th, 2021 at 17:00 IST

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