Karachi:
Senior Congress party leader Anil Kumar Shastri has said it will be very difficult for the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to return to power if it continues to keep its focus on communal issues.
"The BJP came to power on the promise of focussing on development but now it would be difficult for it to come into power again as it had started focussing on communal issues," Mr Shastri, son of former Indian prime minister Lal Bahadur Shastri, said.
"The people of India didn't vote for the BJP on communal grounds and if it didn't improve its ways it would face problems coming into power again," he told reporters during a visit to the mausoleum of Muhammad Ali Jinnah in Karachi.
The former Indian minister earlier arrived in Islamabad to participate in a conference and flew to Karachi on a private visit.
He noted that the BJP suffered humiliating defeats in recent state elections in Delhi and Bihar, indicating the people were rejecting its policies.
The senior Congress leader remained optimistic about the future of Indo-Pak ties, noting that everything could be resolved by sitting across the table.
"I hope the governments of Pakistan and India sit together and do this as cordial relations will not only benefit both countries but also strengthen the entire South Asia region," he said.