india

Updated: Sep 24, 2019 19:31 IST

Congress leader Milind Deora, who set off a buzz on social media about his next move after he praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi again, on Tuesday delivered a sharp comeback to his detractors in and outside the Congress.

“For those who have already imagined and chartered my forward path, I wish to give you one unambigious answer: I will serve my country to the best of my ability,” Milind Deora said on Twitter on Tuesday, his response to the barbs and attacks that prophesied his exit from the party.

It was a tweet 24 hours earlier that hailed PM Modi’s Houston speech as a “momentous first for India’s soft power diplomacy” that was followed by, what the Maharashtra leader described as, “insinuations and unwarranted criticism”.

Deora vowed to remain “bipartisan when it comes to issues of national interest and foreign policy” and follow his father’s footsteps.

While I appreciate the kind words expressed by Murlibhai’s friends and well-wishers, I express regret on the insinuations and unwarranted criticism in sections of media and social media.



My full statement pic.twitter.com/T6ysvA6Qi0 — Milind Deora मिलिंद देवरा (@milinddeora) September 24, 2019

Concluding his one-page statement that spoke about his father, ex-minister Murli Deora’s contribution to building India-US ties. Deora said: “Finally, I am my father’s son. Friendships was the bedrock of his politics... I will not compromise on my core beliefs even though politics continues to be increasingly uncharitable and partisan”.

Milind Deora’s wholesome praise for PM Modi for his speech - he had earlier praised the PM for scrapping Kashmir’s sepcial status too - was at variance from his party’s stand that had taken potshots. The Congress had accused Narendra Modi of violating Indian foreign policy’s “time honoured principle” of not interfering in the domestic elections of another country by “actively campaigning” for the US president at the Houston event.

PM Modi, who had responded to Milind Deora’s tweet on his speech, had recalled his late friend and Milind’s father Murli Deora’s commitment to strong ties with USA.

Deora said his father’s efforts and relationships helped strengthen India’s national interest. “My late father worked closely with Indian Prime Ministers and US Presidents cutting across party lines in the spirit of bipartisanship.

Murlibhai deserves respect because he put his country before party. Fortunately, politics at the time was not as confrontational and ungracious as it is today,” he said.