BJP member Anurag Thakur claimed in the Lok Sabha that then-Prime Minister Indira Gandhi asked US President Nixon to intervene and stop the 1971 war with Pakistan. Thakur suggested that despite Indian soldiers winning the war, it was "lost at the negotiation table," and that Gandhi's letter to Nixon showed her "pleading" for US help
BJP member Anurag Thakur. File Pic
BJP leader Anurag Thakur on Wednesday claimed in the Lok Sabha that the then-Prime Minister Indira Gandhi had requested US intervention to halt the 1971 war with Pakistan, reported news agency PTI.
Thakur argued that while Indian soldiers secured victory in the 1971 war, "someone else" was subsequently lauded as the "Iron Lady." He further stated that the war was won on the battlefield but ultimately lost at the negotiating table.
"If you dig a little deeper into history, the layers start unravelling," Thakur said during a Zero Hour mention in the Lok Sabha. "The then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi had written to US President Nixon. It appears as though a supplicant was pleading before the US President."
Moreover, he then read out a letter from Gandhi to Nixon, wherein she urged the US President "to persuade Pakistan to desist forthwith from the policy of wanton aggression and military adventurism," PTI reported.
Referring to the letter dated 5 December 1971, Thakur questioned, "The nation has to decide whether the government of that day was iron or an irony."
Following these remarks, Congress members immediately rose in protest against Thakur’s statements.
The former Union Minister questioned whether Gandhi lacked trust in the armed forces, opting instead to plead with the US to end the conflict.
"This family is adept at bending and begging the US to ask Pakistan to end the war," Thakur stated, directly criticising Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi’s recent remarks daring the Narendra Modi government to display half the courage shown by Indira Gandhi during the 1971 war.
"Why did Indira Gandhi approach the US to end the war?" Thakur reiterated.
He further added that Indira Gandhi had complained about Pakistan launching "malicious propaganda" against India in 1971. "The Congress is indulging in the same malicious propaganda on behalf of Pakistan today," Thakur concluded.
Meanwhile, during the Parliament session, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar stated on Wednesday in the Rajya Sabha that there was no third-party intervention in securing a ceasefire with Pakistan during "Operation Sindoor." He further asserted that the cessation of military action was not linked to trade, contrary to claims made by US President Donald Trump.
However, intervening in a special discussion on Operation Sindoor, Jaishankar noted that there were no phone calls between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the US President between April 22, when the Pahalgam terror attack occurred, and June 16.
Jaishankar also criticised the Congress for its past inaction in response to terror attacks perpetrated by Pakistan, accusing the party of "self-hyphenating" India with Pakistan on the issue of terrorism.
(With inputs from PTI)
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