JP MP Nishikant Dubey on Wednesday claimed that former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi sought US help for a ceasefire during the 1971 Indo-Pak war, despite India having captured 93,000 Pakistani soldiers.
Dubey cited a letter allegedly written by Indira Gandhi to US President Richard Nixon, requesting assistance in brokering a ceasefire.
Dubey cited a letter dated December 5, 1971, written by Indira Gandhi to US President Richard Nixon, requesting a ceasefire and implying India’s government was in danger, accusing Congress of spreading false narratives about India’s history.
“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. The entire history of 1971 is contained in this one letter that Indira Gandhi wrote. When people thought that we could take our Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, when we had captured 93,000 Pakistani soldiers, at that time, suddenly a ceasefire happened… After looking at this history, don’t you think that Congress controlled the entire media? Congress tried to distort the history. What we have been taught since childhood is that Nixon and Kissinger were not allowed to enter, but history is that India Gandhi surrendered in 1971… I have asked the Speaker to take action to expunge his speech or ask him to apologise in the Parliament,” he said.
This comes after Lok Sabha LoP Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday said thta the current government lacks the political will to confront Pakistan, unlike the government led by Indira Gandhi in 1971. He drew parallels between the 1971 war, which led to the creation of Bangladesh, and Operation Sindoor, stating that the government’s resolve stands nowhere close to the then Congress leadership.
Rahul Gandhi stressed that utilizing the Indian Armed Forces requires 100% political will and full freedom of operation, which he believes the current government lacks.
Rahul Gandhi referenced Rajnath Singh’s remarks in Lok Sabha yesterday in which the Defence Minister compared Operation Sindoor to the 1971 war.
“Yesterday, Rajnath Singh ji compared the 1971 war and Operation Sindoor, and I want to remind him, there was a political will in 1971… In 1971, India had political will. Indira Gandhi gave Sam Manekshaw full freedom, even when US ships moved in.”
Referring to the remarks of Chief of Defence Staff Lieutenant General Anil Chauhan and Captain Shiv Kumar, Defence Attache, Indonesia, Rahul Gandhi further alleged that India lost its fighter jets because armed forces were “constrained by political leadership.”
The LoP stated, “Second thing he (Defence Minister) said, He told the Pakistanis that we are not going to hit any of your military infrastructure. This is an interesting fact. I said freedom of manoeuvre, meaning freedom to the air force. Captain Shiv Kumar, Defence Attache, Indonesia, says I may not agree with him that India lost so many aircraft, but I do agree we did lose some aircraft, that happened only because of the constraints given by the political leadership to not attack the military establishments and their air defence.”
“It means – You went into Pakistan and told our pilots not to attack their air defence systems. It means you told your pilots to go and attack Pakistan and face their air defence system. It means you tied their hands behind their back. The point is, aircraft were lost. It means you started and said you do not have the political will and you won’t attack military establishments, and then asked the pilots to fight. Everybody knows the result; you do not want to give answers, but everybody knows the result…” Gandhi said.
Claiming that India lost its fighter jets, Gandhi held the Central government responsible for this, asserting that no tactical mistake was made by the air force.
The LoP said, “I want to say to CDS General Anil Chauhan ji, you made no tactical mistake, the Indian air force made no mistake, the mistake was made by the political leadership that said you cannot attack the military infrastructure. The air force is not to blame at all.”
