The editorial also compared PM Modi with Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan.The Congress has strongly criticised the Indian Ambassador to Ireland for what it views as an inappropriate response to allegations against Prime Minister Narendra Modi in an editorial by The Irish Times.
Calling it “unprofessional and disgraceful” on the part of the Indian Ambassador to Ireland to respond such allegations, senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said attacking opposition parties openly “like a party apparatchik” was not expected from an ambassador. An apparatchik refers to someone who works for a government or a political party and follows the orders.
“Defending the government of India is one thing and is to be expected. But to attack opposition parties openly in this manner like a party apparatchik is not expected from an Ambassador, even if he be a political appointment. This is unprofessional and disgraceful behaviour on his part – but is par for the Modi course I guess,” Jairam Ramesh wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
The controversy arose following an editorial titled “Modi tightens his grip,” published by The Irish Times on April 11, which critiqued the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in India.
In the editorial, the newspaper said an “intolerant Hindu-first majoritarianism is the order of the day”.
The editorial also compared PM Modi with Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan, saying, “Modi’s embrace of Hindu nationalism… has stoked anti-Muslim tensions and violence and seriously eroded the traditional Nehru-inspired secularism of its politics.”
Highlighting what it perceived as a decline in India’s democratic values, the editorial cited instances of government crackdowns on free speech and opposition voices, including the recent arrest of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and “financial terrorism” alleged by the Congress party.
“95 per cent of its political cases have been filed against the opposition,” the editorial said.
In response, Indian Ambassador to Ireland, Akhilesh Mishra, dismissed the editorial as “highly biased and prejudiced.” Mishra attributed PM Modi’s popularity to the government’s efforts to combat corruption.
Mishra defended the BJP government’s anti-corruption initiatives, portraying them as essential steps towards restoring accountability and justice within the Indian political landscape.
“There is a huge sense of relief at the grass-root level to witness action being taken and recoveries made from the rich and powerful elites who operated with a sense of entitlement of impunity,” Mishra said in a statement posted on the Embassy’s X handle.