Modi-Sharif Meeting An Innovative Diplomacy, Says Rajnath Singh

Lucknow: Terming as "innovative diplomacy" the surprise meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Pakistani counterpart in Lahore, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh today said it was in line with former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's vision of Indo-Pak ties.

"The meeting is an innovative diplomacy," Mr Singh said at a function in Lucknow to mark the birth anniversary of Mr Vajpayee.

Mr Singh's remarks came a day after PM Modi's visit to Pakistan, the first by an Indian Prime Minister in more than a decade.

PM Modi, while returning from his visit to Russia and Afghanistan, made a surprise stop at Lahore last evening.

"Looking forward to meeting PM Nawaz Sharif in Lahore today afternoon, where I will drop by on my way back to Delhi," he had tweeted.

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The home minister maintained that the "visit was in line with the vision of Mr Vajapyee on India-Pakistan relations".

Former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee had travelled to Lahore from New Delhi on the inaugural run of a bus route in 1999.

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Mr Modi and Mr Sharif had met briefly on the sidelines of the Paris Climate Change Summit recently. The Paris meeting was the first between the two leaders after July when they had met in the Russian city of Ufa and had agreed that their National Security Advisers would meet.

The two leaders also attended the UN General Assembly session in September but did not meet even though they stayed in the same hotel.

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The two leaders again came under one roof during a peacekeeping summit held on the sidelines of the General Assembly, but only waved at each other and did not speak or shake hands.

The home minister opined that after Mr Vajpayee, it was Prime Minister Modi who has raised the dignity of India infront of the world.

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"In independent India, after Atal Bihari Vajpayeeji, if there is someone who has made the country proud and raised its dignity in front of the world, it is Narendra Modi," he said.

Mr Singh said that it was mainly due to PM Modi's long stretching efforts that the influence and image of the country has vastly improved.

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He also mentioned about the visit of US President Obama to India in 2010, claiming that "India is not emerging, but India has emerged".

He added that in Independent India's resurgence, former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's contribution has also been of prime importance.

On being asked about the graft allegations against Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, Mr Singh said that they were all baseless and his integrity could not be doubted.