- PM Modi blamed the Congress and Nehru for Pak's occupation of Kashmir and the loss of Aksai Chin to China
- The PM also accused the Congress of ceding Kartarpur and Kachchatheevu Island to Pakistan and Sri Lanka
- Earlier Congress MP Rahul Gandhi demanded to know why the BJP did not let Op Sindoor go on to reclaim PoK
The Congress - and its former Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru - was tag-teamed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah Tuesday evening at the end of a vociferous two-day Lok Sabha debate on the Pahalgam terror attack and Operation Sindoor.
After Mr Shah ripped into the Congress (and Mr Nehru) - blaming them for Pakistan's illegal occupation of Kashmir and the ceding of territory in Aksai Chin to China - the Prime Minister fired jabs of his own, accusing them of also giving away territory in Punjab and Tamil Nadu.
The reference was to Kartarpur and Kachchatheevu Island, which were given over to Pakistan (in 1947, as part of the British boundary-drawing) and Sri Lanka (by Indira Gandhi in 1974).
"The people who have been asking us why we don't take back Pakistan-occupied Kashmir... I want to ask, 'whose government let the enemy capture PoK'? The answer is clear..." the Prime Minister said.
"They also said Aksai Chin was barren and gave it away."
Aksai Chin in eastern Ladakh was illegally occupied by China during the 1962 war.
The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party has repeatedly accused the Congress government of the time of having surrendered over 30,000 sq km of Indian territory to China.
The accusation usually comes around when the Congress attacks the Modi administration of having surrendered around 4,000 sq km in Ladakh after the violent clashes of May-June 2020.
"Congress has always compromised national security. But whenever I speak of Nehru, the Congress and its ecosystem get jittery," the PM responded, adding, "'Lamhon ne khata ki, sadiyon ne saza paayi' (a mistake was committed in that moment, and the punishment lasted years')."
"To date, India is suffering the punishment of decisions taken since independence."
Mr Modi also took aim at the Congress for a 'lack of support' after Pahalgam and during Operation Sindoor. He accused, as Amit Shah did, the party of having given Pak a 'clean chit'.
READ | "Got World's Support But Sadly, None From Congress": PM On Op Sindoor
The world supported India after Pahalgam and Op Sindoor but the Congress did not, he said.
Rahul Gandhi's Deterrance Jibe
The Nehru jabs followed sharp questions by Rahul Gandhi about the Op Sindoor timeline and the government's handling of the armed forces. In a combative speech the Congress leader wanted to know what stopped the BJP from extending military action to recapture PoK.
READ | "This Government Clueless About What Deterrence Means": Rahul Gandhi
Amit Shah's Nehru Jabs
Hours earlier Mr Shah set the tone for the Prime Minister's speech, accusing Jawaharlal Nehru of having dismissively surrendered Aksai Chin because "not even a blade of grass grows there".
"They (the Congress) asked us why we agreed to a ceasefire (in Op Sindoor) when we were in such a good position? I want to ask them... in 1948 our soldiers had the upper hand but Nehru stopped the war and the PoK problem was created. Pakistan is Congress' mistake... The blame lies with Nehru."
NDTV is now available on WhatsApp channels. Click on the link to get all the latest updates from NDTV on your chat.
