Nobody who gets close to Pak remains in politics for long: Shiv Sena

Citing examples of BJP stalwarts A B Vajpayee and L K Advani, ally Shiv Sena today said that political careers of leaders who got too close to Pakistan have been on the wane as it criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi's surprise visit to Lahore.

The Sena also said that the neighbouring country's soil is "cursed" because it is soaked in the blood of lakhs of innocent Indians.

"What needs to be remembered is that there is an orthodox belief that in the past, no politician who has tried to get too close to Pakistan has been able to remain in politics for long. L K Advani has once been on the tomb of (Mohammed Ali) Jinnah and had praised him. After that, his political graph started declining and today he has been sidelined," the Sena said in an edit in party mouthpiece 'Saamana'.

"(A B) Vajpayee, in a bid to mend the strained relations between both countries started the 'Lahore bus' service and also went out of his way to meet General (Pervez) Musharraf in Agra. After that, never did a BJP government come to power under the leadership of Vajpayee," it said.

It further questioned BJP's response, had a Congress Prime Minister made an unannounced stopover in Pakistan.

"The whole country is asking if BJP would have similarly welcomed a Congress PM's unannounced stopover in Lahore like they did for Modi. Pakistan's soil is cursed and kissing it would prove to be costly because it is soaked in the blood of lakhs of innocent Indians," the edit said.