PM Modi indulging in 'self-praise' instead of solving Kashmir issue: Samajwadi Party

Taking a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his Independence Day address, theSamajwadi Party (SP) on Wednesday said the former had indulged in self-praise instead of solving the Kashmir unrest issue.

Speaking to ANI, Samajwadi Party leader Abu Azmi said the Centre should sit and talk with the people of Kashmir, social organisations and the members of the Hurriyat.

"Pakistan's interference is increasing due to the Kashmir issue. It is a serious matter and threat for the nation. Instead of solving the problem, the Prime Minister indulges in self-praise for one-and-a-half-hour," he added.

Azmi said it should be the first priority of all the political parties to bring peace in the Valley.

"If the Prime Minister indulges in self-praise, then how will the problems of the nation end? It is the responsibility of all the political parties to bring peace to the Valley. It should be our first priority," he added.(more)

'Modi's visit gave opportunity to assess Indo-US partnership': Obama administration

'Modi's visit gave opportunity to assess Indo-US partnership': Obama administration

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the US provided an "important opportunity" to assess how the Indo-US partnership can help address global challenges and unleash opportunity in the economic and trade space, a topObama administration official said.

"There was a tremendous amount of support and goodwill and his words resonated in many many different audiences around town," Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Nisha Desai Biswal toldPTI on the sidelines of an event here on Tuesday.

Following Modi's visit to Washington from June 6-8, Biswal had described the vision laid out by the Indian leader during his address to the US Congress as the 'Modi Doctrine'.

Biswal, in the city to speak at the launch of the Sri Lanka Policy Forum, saidModi doctrine was "a way of framing what I thought was an important vision" that the Prime Minister put forward in his speech to the US Congress.

"It's a recognition that both President (Barack) Obama and Prime Minister Modi said that we are each other's best partners in an important defining relationship, not only because of what wecan do for our own peoples through our partnership but because of the way we can really advance global concerns, address challenges and create betterment around the world."

She said Modi's visit was an "important opportunity" to talk about that kind of partnership and to best look at the "challenges that we see", including the challenges across the Indo-Pacific, climate change and "how we can move together to address them as well as unleash opportunity on the economic and trade space and in many other endeavors between our two countries."

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