Owaisi criticises Centre over 'hasty' 2+2 dialogue

All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) President Asaduddin Owaisi wrote a letter to Lok Sabha speaker Sumitra Mahajan saying the government was taking a hasty decision by agreeing to the '2+2' dialogue with the United States.

Owaisi, who wrote to Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan to move an adjournment motion, alleged that the Centre was "willingly relinquishing sovereignty to a foreign nation and compromising national security" by agreeing to sign a Communications Compatibility and Security Agreement (COMCASA) with the United States (US) during the upcoming '2+2' dialogue.

He further said that by sealing the deal with the Trump administration, the government will breach Indian laws and will also give US military access to Indian military communication systems and its data.

"The agreement allows unfettered American access into encrypted Indian military communication systems and sharing of that data with others. Moreover, it allows US inspectors to visit Indian bases physically and inspect the transferred equipment. Finally, the agreement supersedes Indian law and this is a blatant compromise of the nation's sovereignty," the letter read.

The leader also criticised the central government headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi for taking this decision without holding any public discussion. He was of the view that such serious matters pertaining to the national security of India must be first discussed with other leaders and should not be taken in haste.

"It has to be noted that previous governments in the last fifteen years have refrained from signing this agreement, being aware of its implications. That this government has decided to sign such an agreement with massive national security and sovereignty issues without any public discussion or feedback is shocking. This agreement needs greater scrutiny and deserves to be discussed on the floor of the Lok Sabha. Hence, I am giving the notice to move an adjournment motion to discuss this matter on an urgent basis," Owaisi highlighted.

After getting deferred twice, India-US inaugural 2+2 dialogue is scheduled to take place in New Delhi on September 6.

The high-level meeting will take place between External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman with their American counterparts US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo and Secretary of Defence James Mattis.