PM Modi making 'irresponsible' and 'threatening' statements: Anand Sharma

Senior Congress leader Anand Sharma on Wednesday said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is making "irresponsible" and "threatening" statements, which do not suit the PM of the largest democracy in the world.

"The Prime Minister has been making irresponsible statements, threatening noises which do not behove the Prime Minister of the largest democracy in the world," Sharma told reporters here.

"The Prime Minister's statement that 18 nuclear missiles were ready and targeting Pakistan when America got to know and warned Pakistan that India was going to do something big. It is disturbing," Sharma said.

Terming it 'jingoism' and 'threatening,' Sharma said that no head of the State of any nuclear-capable State had given such a statement ever and it would hurt India's position in the Nuclear Supplier Group (NSG).

"No head of the State of a nuclear weapons State has ever given such a statement even in military conflict. These are military secrets. We have to be responsible. This jingoism and issuing threatening statements will not help India's image. We have yet to convince the NSG members to give us full membership," he said.

Sharma went on to add: "After this statement of the Prime Minister, the other members of NSG will question if we are a responsible nuclear power. I also have a message for the Prime Minister that he should realise that the voters are seeking answers for his 5 years' works and the promises that he made in 2014. Elections are being held in India, and not in Pakistan."

Clarifying the reason behind Congress' demands for 50 per cent EVMs to be checked with VVPAT, he said: "When every EVM has a VVPAT, it is a very fair demand that 50 per cent of account should be there on the VVPAT."

The Congress party along with 20 other opposition parties earlier today filed a review petition in the Supreme Court asking it to order the verification of 50 per cent EVMs using the voter-verifiable paper audit trail (VVPAT) machines.