Rahul meets Chinese envoy: Cong. should come out clean in national interest, says BJP

New Delhi [India], July 10 (ANI): As the heat begins to mount on the Congress over its vice-president Rahul Gandhi meeting Chinese envoy, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday said that it has "no objection" to the meeting, but asked the grand old party to come out clean and share the minutes of the meeting in larger national interest,. "We have, in principle, no objection if Rahul Gandhi meets any foreign diplomat let alone the Chinese Ambassador, but in larger national interest it is necessary that Rahul Gandhi should come out clean on this issue and tell what has gone into the discussion," Vijay Chauthaiwale, In-Charge, Department of Foreign Affairs, BJP told ANI. BJP leader Subramanian Swamy demanded the same, and said it was necessary as the act questions the Congress leadership's patriotism. "This is not an issue of who meeting whom, but to lie that this didn't happen, by trying to hide it which is an indication that something clandestine was planned and they got caught in it," Swamy told ANI. "The patriotism of the Congress leadership is in question and that is where they need to clarify," he added. The Congress party was in a soup earlier this day when the grand old party first denied that Rahul met with Chinese envoy Luo Zhaohui, but later accepted and revealed that the party vice president met Bhutanese envoy as well. "Various ambassadors and envoys keep meeting the Congress president and the vice-president from time to time on a courtesy basis, particularly those of G5 nations and also of the neighbouring countries - be it the Chinese Ambassador, or the Bhutanese Ambassador or the former national security advisor Shiv Shankar Menon," Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala told ANI. "Rahul Gandhi met all of them. So, nobody should try to sensationalise such normal courtesy calls or term them as events," he added,. Surjewala, in a series of tweets, had said some news channels were running "fake news" on Rahul's alleged meeting with the Chinese Ambassador. The meeting comes amid the stand- off between India and China that has been taking place for the past three weeks over the tri-junction area of Doklam sector near Bhutan. The stand-off emerged after the China's People's Liberation Army construction party attempted to build a road near the Doklam area. Bhutan recognises as Dokalam as its area while China claims it as part of its Donglang region. Doka La is the Indian name for the region. (ANI)