Overseas Congress delegation meets Jeremy Corbyn
Members of the overseas Congress delegation in the United Kingdom on Wednesday met Jeremy Corbyn, Leader of the Labour Party and Leader of the Opposition since 2015 in British Parliament. Their discussions focussed on the situation in Kashmir. Earlier, Corbyn had openly criticised India on the abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir.
The delegation that met Corbyn comprised UK representatives from the Congress party.
"A very productive meeting with UK representatives from the Indian Congress Party where we discussed the human rights situation in Kashmir. There must be a de-escalation and an end to the cycle of violence and fear which has plagued the region for so long," Jeremy Corbyn said in a tweet. He also posted a picture of the meeting in the tweet.
The Labour Party's resolution was criticised by Keith Vaz, Britain's longest-serving Indian-origin Member of Parliament. Calling the resolution "divisive", Keith Vaz wrote to Andi Fox, Chair of the National Executive Committee to recall the motion.
The Labour MP from Leicester East said: "The emergency resolution has been misguided and unhelpful. The motion was agreed without the approval of the National Executive Committee of the Labour Party or the leader of the party, Jeremy Corbyn. It has created unnecessary distress and division within the Party and the country"
The meeting has kicked up a controversy in New Delhi. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) said the Congress owes people of India an explanation, and called them "shameful shenanigans."
Back in September, UK's Opposition Labour Party had passed an emergency motion on Kashmir calling for Corbyn to seek international observers to "enter" the region. Their resolution also called for Corbyn to meet the high commissioners of both India and Pakistan to ensure there is "mediation" and restoration of peace and normality to prevent a potential nuclear conflict. However, British government's official stand on Kashmir remained that the Kashmir issue is a bilateral one.
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