Islamabad: Former Pakistani minister Fawad Chaudhry, who has voiced support multiple times for Rahul Gandhi and Arvind Kejriwal, is at it again, as he criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi and said that the Indian leader and his "extreme ideology" need to be defeated. He also conveyed his best wishes to Rahul Gandhi, Kejriwal and West Bengal CM in the ongoing Lok Sabha elections.
In an exclusive interview with IANS, Chaudhry said, "India should move ahead as a progressive country, and that is why Narendra Modi and his extreme ideology need to be defeated. Whoever defeats him, whether it's Rahul Ji, Kejriwal Ji, or Mamata Banerjee, best wishes to them."
Chaudhry, who was a federal minister under incarcerated former PM Imran Khan's regime, said that everyone in Pakistan wanted PM Narendra Modi to lose the elections and that India's benefit lies in establishing good relations with its neighbouring country. "The benefit of the Indian voter lies in having a good relationship with Pakistan. India should move ahead as a progressive nation," he said.
The Pakistani leader's remarks came in response to PM Modi's comments on Monday where he called for an investigation into consistent messages of support from Pakistan for some Indian political leaders. "I don't understand why some select group of people, apparently those who harbour animosity against us, get endorsements from Pakistan, why voices of support emanate from there for certain individuals," the PM said in an interview with IANS.
He further said India is a mature democracy with well-established principles and traditions and that voters can easily see through such gimmicks. Particularly, Chaudhry's constant message of support for Rahul Gandhi has evoked a sharp reaction from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), who called it an obvious case of 'Congress dalliance with Pakistan'.
'Not fond of Rahul Gandhi or Kejriwal': Chaudhry
Reacting to PM Modi's remarks, Chaudhry took to social media platform X and said that he had "no fondness" for Rahul Gandhi or Arvind Kejriwal, but he strongly stood against extremists. He accused the Indian leader of becoming a "symbol of hatred and extremism" and remarked that Muslims of India are facing extreme hatred due to the rise of Hindu Mahasabha.
"(The) founders of Pak made a promise to stand for rights of Muslims living in India. It’s unfortunate Govt of Pak is not playing its role but in whatever capacity I'll speak for Muslim rights in India and one aspect is forces of hatred must be defeated and the RSS+BJP nexus of hatred and extremism must be defeated and anyone who defeats them will earn global respect," he added.
Fawad Chaudhry's support for opposition leaders
It is highly unusual for Pakistani politicians to speak on Indian elections, as most leaders refrain from making remarks on the matter. However, during the sixth phase of the Lok Sabha elections in India, Chaudhry came out in support of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who cast his vote along with his family on Saturday. Notably, Chaudhry had supported Kejriwal after he received bail in the money laundering case linked to alleged liquor excise policy.
"May peace and harmony defeat forces of hate and extremism," wrote Chaudhry on social media platform X, in a show of support for Kejriwal and a veiled attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi. When Kejriwal got interim bail on the orders of the Supreme Court on May 10, Chaudhry had termed the development as “another battle” loss for the Indian PM.
In a strong response, the Delhi Chief Minister told Chaudhry that India was fully capable of solving its own problems and that the Pakistani leader's tweet of support was not needed. "The situation in Pakistan is very bad right now. Take care of your own country," Kejriwal wrote.
Before this, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader heaped praise on Congress leader Rahul Gandhi earlier over his party's promise of conducting a wealth redistribution survey, if it was voted to power. He compared Rahul Gandhi with his great-grandfather and India's first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, and said "both were socialists".
His praise for Rahul Gandhi came days after the former Pakistan minister shared a video of the Congress MP, in which he was seen targeting the BJP-led Centre over the 'pran pratishtha' of Ayodhya's Ram Temple. PM Narendra Modi reacted to Fawad Chaudhry's praise for Rahul Gandhi and said that the “partnership” between Pakistan and Congress has been exposed.
(with inputs from IANS)
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