- Indira Gandhi's 1971 letter urged Nixon to persuade Pakistan to stop aggression against India
- Kiren Rijiju shared the letter to counter Rahul Gandhi's claim of lacking political will in Op Sindoor
- PM Modi stated the armed forces were given full freedom to decide operations against Pakistan
After a massive parliament face-off over Operation Sindoor, the centre has pushed back against Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, who had questioned the government's "political will" to strike at Pakistan during the four-day fiery border confrontation.
Union Minister Kiren Rijiju has shared a 1971 letter from former prime minister Indira Gandhi calling on the then-US president Richard Nixon to persuade Pakistan to desist from attacking India, questioning the "political will" of the Gandhi administration.
"Please give four minutes to see this text of the letter of Smt. Indira Gandhi to President Nixon. Is this the political will of Smt Indira Gandhi ji?" asked Mr Rijiju on X, sharing a link to Ms Gandhi's letter in the US archives. The December 5, 1971, letter followed Pakistan's declaration of war against India and sought to justify any action that may be taken to safeguard the country's security and territorial integrity.
"In this hour of danger, the Government and the people of India seek your understanding and urge you to persuade Pakistan to desist forthwith from the policy of wanton aggression and military adventurism which it has unfortunately embarked upon," wrote Ms Gandhi in her letter.
"May I request Your Excellency to exercise your undoubted influence with the Government of Pakistan to stop their aggressive activities against India and to deal immediately with the genesis of the problem of East Bengal, which has caused so much trial and tribulations to the people not only of Pakistan but of the entire sub-continent," the letter further read.
Mr Rijiju's counter followed Mr Gandhi's charge that the government lacked "political will" to strike at Pakistan and that it left the armed forces with their "hands tied behind their backs" during Op Sindoor.
During the special debate yesterday, Mr Gandhi raised the claims that India had lost some aircraft during the confrontation.
"That happened only because of the constraint by the government. Meaning, you told our pilots and tied their hands behind their backs and told them to go. The defence minister publicly said this in the house. The point is that aircraft were lost because of the constraint by political will. You started the fight and then in the beginning, you said we don't have the political will," Mr Gandhi said in his 40-minute speech.
His accusations followed PM Modi reiterating to parliament that his government had given a free hand to the forces. "They (the armed forces) were given full freedom, and we told them that you will decide when, where, and how to execute the operation. We taught them (Pakistan) a tough lesson, and even today, they are getting sleepless nights," he said.
