Trouble is brewing for government in the monsoon session of Parliament, which is expected to start next month, with the Congress on Monday hinting at stacking up ammunition on issues like failure at the Nuclear Suppliers Group, terror strikes and diatribes of Subramanian Swamy.
"Parliament will have an interesting session this time," party spokesman Kapil Sibal told reporters.
Targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi over a host of issues, especially India's failure at the NSG meet, he said that the prime minister should realise that "diplomacy is not a sound and light show".
"Our prime minister has no knowledge of diplomacy. It is not a sound and light show.
"Foreign policy is done with a sense of maturity. Diplomacy is conducted in very silent, sober manner. But, we see none of that," Sibal said, remarking that the "prime minister likes to be on TV".
Taking a dig at Modi over his remarks on the NSG issue, he wondered as to what was the point of saying Mexico and Switzerland were on India's side?
"We love Modiji, but we love India more. Do not lower its image in the international community by light and sound shows," he said, reminding the prime minister that the 123 agreement with the United States was achieved by India during the United Progressive Allaince rule "without pomp and show".
He said that senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader Yashwant Sinha, who was the external affairs minister in the National Democratic Alliance-I government, had wondered as to why India was pushing for an entry into the NSG when it has got the waiver way back in 2008.
Raising the issue of terror strikes, he alleged that "the product of Modi government's foreign policy is Gurdaspur, Pathankot and Pampore. That's the reality on the ground".
Referring to Modi's surprise Lahore visit, he said that the prime minister during the UPA tenure never went to Pakistan to celebrate weddings and birthdays.
In fact, the prime minister in the UPA era made it clear that while India wanted talks, normalisation of ties with Pakistan was not possible till it cooperated in bringing to book those involved in the 26/11 Mumbai terror strikes, he said.
Claiming that 50 terrorists have crossed the Pakistan border in past five months, he said that they have continued attacking Indian soldiers. "We want to ask the prime minister till when are we supposed to suffer these attacks?".
Sibal also attacked the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh for plans to hold Iftar parties. "While our security forces are getting martyred, the RSS is busy holding Iftar parties for Pakistani diplomats," he said recalling the way Modi used to target the UPA on the issue.
Replying to a question on BJP Rajya Sabha MP Subramanian Swamy, Sibal wondered as to what is the use of the prime minister now disapproving Swamy's attacks when Reserve Bank of India Governor Raghuram Rajan has already said no to a second term.
Apparently referring to Swamy's attacks on Jaitley, the RBI governor and finance ministry officials, he said that such a thing had never happened during the UPA rule.
"They have brought nuclear fissile material in Parliament and has kept it there. It will implode them. (Finance Minister Arun) Jaitley is feeling being imploded", Sibal told reporters without taking the name of Swamy.
He also suggested that the prime minister, who has completed two years in office, should address a press conference, instead of giving an interview to a news channel.
"Modiji, have a press conference. Let our journalists ask you questions. This is better than an interview with one person", he remarked.
He also attacked the Prime Minister and the BJP for targeting Congress over the Emergency imposed 41 years back when Indira Gandhi was at the helm. "How do you have an anniversary on emergency and how do you do a 'Mann ki Baat' on emergency", he wondered.
Alleging that there was a "silent emergency" in place since the Modi government took over, he claimed that even BJP veteran L K Advani had spoken of the danger.
Advani, he recalled, had remarked sometime back that "at the present point of time the forces that can crush democracy, notwithstanding the provisions of the Constitution and legal safeguards, are stronger."
Insisting that the issue of emergency was being raised by the ruling party for "petty politics", he said the emergency of 1975 can never happen today because of amendments in the Constitution.
Taking a dig at the government, he reminded it that there are "many emergencies in India to be dealt with like farmers emergency, drought emergency and unemployment emergencies. Deal with them."
