Congress queries 'political purpose' behind Japanese PM being hosted in Gujarat

The Congress party on Wednesday wondered if the hosting of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in Ahmedabad was being done with an eye on the Gujarat elections later this year.

Answering queries from media persons here about Abe's visit, Congress spokesperson Manish Tewari said the party did not want to transgress propriety by commenting on the official visit but remarked that it was strange that the Prime Minister of a country as important as Japan was not being hosted in the national capital.

He said the foundation of the consolidation of India-Japan ties was laid during the UPA government.

"The Prime Minister of a country which as important as Japan, who is India's strategic partner in many respects, is strangely not even being hosted in Delhi. And with an election in Gujarat round the corner, it does raise a question. I hope this is not the case that a visit is actually being used for political purposes because the manner in which it is structured, is rather awkward to say the least," Tewari said.

--IANS

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