GG News Bureau
New Delhi, 11th May: As the Congress party highlighted Indira Gandhi’s decisive leadership during the 1971 Bangladesh liberation war, seemingly drawing a contrast with the recent ceasefire agreement between India and Pakistan, senior party leader and MP Shashi Tharoor offered a more nuanced perspective, stating the circumstances then and now “are not the same.” The campaign by the Congress, prominently featuring imagery of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, was widely interpreted as a subtle critique of the Narendra Modi government’s handling of the recent tensions leading to the ceasefire.
Speaking to news agency ANI, Mr Tharoor was asked about his party’s social media campaign. While not directly commenting on the campaign itself, he addressed the situation that necessitated the ceasefire. “The fact is that, to my mind, we had reached a stage where the escalation was needlessly getting out of control. Peace is necessary for us. The truth is that the circumstances of 1971 are not the circumstances of 2025. There are differences,” Mr Tharoor said.
#WATCH | Delhi | On the understanding reached between Indian and Pakistan, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor says, "We had reached a stage where the escalation was needlessly getting out of control. Peace is necessary for us. The truth is that the circumstances of 1971 are not the… pic.twitter.com/dowttNX1wj
— ANI (@ANI) May 11, 2025
He argued that the people of India, particularly those in border areas like Poonch who have suffered greatly, deserve peace. While stating he doesn’t oppose all wars, he clarified, “When there are reasons to continue them, we should continue. But this was not a war we intended to continue. We just wanted to teach terrorists a lesson. That lesson has been taught.” Mr Tharoor expressed confidence that the government would continue its efforts to track down the terrorists responsible for the Pahalgam terror attack, which claimed 26 innocent lives, calling this pursuit “indispensable” regardless of how long it takes. However, he cautioned against risking the “entire nation at risk in a prolonged war.”
Regarding the recent conflict with Pakistan, Mr Tharoor felt there was “no reason to risk more lives, limbs and fortunes.” He stressed the national priority should be on the “prosperity and well-being of Indian people, on growth, development and progress,” concluding that “peace is the right way to go at this stage.”
Mr Tharoor acknowledged the 1971 victory as a “great achievement” and a source of national pride, where Indira Gandhi “rewrote the map of the subcontinent.” However, he reiterated the fundamental difference today: “Today’s Pakistan is a different situation. Their equipment, military equipment, the damage they can do, everything is different.” He contrasted the “moral cause” of liberating Bangladesh in 1971 with the potential for a “much longer, protracted conflict with a lot of loss of lives on both sides” in the current scenario, questioning if such a prolonged conflict is India’s “biggest priority” now. He asserted that India’s initial actions following the terror attack were meant to impose a price for sending terrorists, not to start a long war. “If Pakistan did not escalate, we would not have escalated. Pakistan did, we also did,” he said, but continuing would have led to a “needlessly… long, drawn-out war without a clear objective at the end of it,” unlike the clear goal of liberating Bangladesh. “Just keeping on firing shells at Pakistan is not a clear objective. You see the difference,” he illustrated.
Shortly after the news of the ceasefire broke, various Congress leaders and the party’s official social media handles began sharing pictures of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, highlighting her role in the 1971 war. These posts were widely interpreted as an indirect criticism of Prime Minister Modi and the government’s handling of the recent tensions and the subsequent ceasefire.
Responding to the Congress’s campaign, BJP spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia questioned why the Congress did not similarly remember former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and asked what actions the UPA government took following the 26/11 terror attacks in Mumbai.
Adding another layer to the party’s reaction, Congress communications head Jairam Ramesh put forth specific demands and questions. He called for an all-party meeting chaired by the Prime Minister to discuss the ceasefire pact. Furthermore, he questioned US Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s mention of talks at a “neutral site,” asking if this implied the government had potentially opened the door to third-party mediation on the Kashmir issue, a stance India has historically opposed. In a separate statement, Mr Ramesh reiterated, “Finally, the Indian National Congress believes it is but natural for the country to recall Indira Gandhi for her extraordinarily courageous and resolute leadership in 1971.”
Comments are closed.