NEW DELHI: The BJP on Wednesday launched a sharp counterattack in the Lok Sabha against leader of opposition Rahul Gandhi’s criticism of the Modi government’s handling of Operation Sindoor. Citing historical records, BJP MPs Anurag Thakur and Nishikant Dubey alleged that former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi had sought US intervention to halt the 1971 India-Pakistan war — a move they claimed undercut India’s battlefield advantage.This political flashpoint erupted a day after Rahul Gandhi, in his speech in the Lok Sabha, accused the government of lacking political will and imposing restrictions on the armed forces during the May 7 cross-border strikes launched in response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack. Comparing Operation Sindoor with the 1971 war, Gandhi said Indira Gandhi gave the military full freedom, even as the US Seventh Fleet approached Indian waters.Responding during Zero Hour, Anurag Thakur said, “If you dig a little deeper in history, the layers start unravelling. The then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi had written to US President Nixon. It appears as though a supplicant was pleading before the US president.”
Thakur read out from a letter dated December 5, 1971, in which Indira Gandhi asked Nixon to persuade Pakistan to desist from aggression.Thakur added, “The nation has to decide whether the government of that day was iron or an irony.” He accused the Congress of distorting history and questioned whether Indira Gandhi lacked trust in India’s armed forces. “This family is adept at bending and begging the US to ask Pakistan to end the war,” he said, drawing protests from Congress benches.Echoing Thakur’s claims, BJP MP Nishikant Dubey said, “This is a letter dated 5 December 1971, which Indira Gandhi wrote to the President of America, Richard Nixon. She wrote that our government is in danger, and India wants a ceasefire; you convince Pakistan. Such a big surrender, such a big lie.”Dubey claimed that despite India having captured 93,000 Pakistani soldiers, the war ended with a sudden ceasefire. “The entire history of 1971 is contained in this one letter. When people thought we could take Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, a ceasefire happened. After looking at this history, don’t you think the Congress controlled the entire media?” he said.He further alleged that Congress misrepresented the events of 1971 to elevate its leadership’s image, saying, “India Gandhi surrendered in 1971.”The BJP’s attack came after Rahul Gandhi’s remarks questioning the Modi government’s strategic messaging and military decisions during Operation Sindoor. Gandhi had stated, “Yesterday, Rajnath Singh compared 1971 and Sindoor. I’d remind him — there was political will in 1971. The Seventh Fleet was approaching, and the PM said do whatever is needed. Indira Gandhi told General Manekshaw: take six months, one year — you must have freedom of action. One lakh Pakistani soldiers surrendered and a new country was formed.”Rahul Gandhi also raised questions over instructions given to the Indian Air Force during the May 7 operation, alleging that pilots were told not to target Pakistani air defence systems. “IAF made no mistake. The mistake was made by the political leadership, which said military targets could not be attacked,” he said, citing statements by Captain Shiv Kumar, Defence Attaché to Indonesia, and CDS General Anil Chauhan.Slamming the government’s post-operation messaging, Rahul Gandhi said, “The Government of India informed Pakistan we don’t want to fight. We have simply carried out this action.” He also referred to US President Donald Trump’s multiple statements claiming he brokered the ceasefire. “If he’s lying, then let PM Modi stand here and say: ‘Donald Trump, you are a liar.’ If he has the courage of Indira Gandhi, let him say it here in Parliament,” Rahul Gandhi said.
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