Former union minister and Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said on Friday that all regional parties in the North East were basically outfits of the BJP whether they admit openly or keep it a secret. Speaking to media persons at Aizawl, Mizoram where he and other leaders from the Party released the Lok Sabha manifesto, Ramesh alleged that many leaders from these regional parties need the “BJP washing machine” and the “Modi detergent”.

The AICC General Secretary (Communication) further claimed that the BJP uses central agencies such as the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the Crime Investigation Bureau (CBI) to make the leaders of regional parties “fall in line”.

When asked about his take on the remark made by Dr S Jaishankar, Union Minister of Ministry of External Affairs, who during his visit to Mizoram had said that the Free Movement Regime (FMR) was revoked because of the situation in Myanmar, Jairam Ramesh accused the Government of India of making “foreign policy an instrument for domestic politics.”

He also claimed that the BJP government does not want to take responsibility for what has happened in Manipur and is now blaming Myanmar where the situation has been unstable for quite some time.

The Congress leader further stated that Dr Jaishankar had “given up all pretense of being a professional and he is indulging in the politics of the worst type when it comes to India’s foreign policy.”

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