As the Congress showcased Indira Gandhi’s leadership during the Bangladesh liberation war to take a swipe at the Narendra Modi government following yesterday’s ceasefire agreement with Pakistan, senior party leader Shashi Tharoor said the circumstances in 1971 and 2025 are not the same.
During an interaction with news agency ANI, the Congress MP was asked about the Congress’s social media campaign to showcase Indira Gandhi after the government announced the ceasefire pact. Without directly commenting on the campaign, Mr Tharoor replied, “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.”
#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 said that the people of India deserve peace. “We have suffered a lot, ask the people of Poonch, how many have died. I am not saying we should stop wars. 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 said.
#WATCH | Delhi | “1971 was a great achievement, Indira Gandhi rewrote the map of the subcontinent, but the circumstances were different. Bangladesh was fighting a moral cause, and liberating Bangladesh was a clear objective. Just keeping on firing shells at Pakistan is not a… pic.twitter.com/Tr3jWas9Ez
— ANI (@ANI) May 11, 2025
He added that he is sure that the government will continue trying to track down the terrorists involved in the Pahalgam terror attack that claimed 26 innocent lives. “That is indispensable. It may not happen overnight, it may take months, years, but we will have to do it. No one should be allowed to get away with killing innocent Indian civilians. But that doesn’t mean we should put the entire nation at risk in a prolonged war,” he said.
“As far as this particular conflict with Pakistan was concerned, there was no reason to risk more lives, limbs and fortunes. We need to focus on the prosperity and well-being of Indian people, on growth, development and progress. I think the peace is the right way to go at this stage,” Mr Tharoor said.
The Congress leader said the 1971 victory was a “great achievement” that makes him proud as an Indian. “Indira Gandhiji rewrote the map of the subcontinent. But the circumstances were different. Today’s Pakistan is a different situation. Their equipment, military equipment, the damage they can do, everything is different,” he said.
In the Bangladesh liberation war, he said, India was fighting a moral cause to bring people to freedom. “This is a different story. We would have ended up with a much longer, protracted conflict with a lot of loss of lives on both sides. Is this the biggest priority for India today? No, it’s not. We wanted to teach those who had sent these terrorists across that there is a price to pay,” he said. “India did not, I believe, at any stage see the actions of May 7 as the beginning of a long, protracted conflict. If Pakistan did not escalate, we would not have escalated. Pakistan did, we also did. It was getting to a point where if it continued like, we would needlessly have been caught in a long, drawn-out war without a clear objective at the end of it. Liberating Bangladesh is a clear objective. Just keeping on firing shells at Pakistan is not a clear objective. You see the difference,” he said.
Shortly after the news of the ceasefire came in, Congress leaders, including the party’s official handle, shared pictures of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, who led the country to a win in the 1971 war. The posts were seen as a swipe at Prime Minister Modi over the ceasefire. BJP spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia responded if the Congress did not remember former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and questioned what action the then UPA government took after the 26/11 terror attacks in Mumbai.
The Congress’s communications head, Jairam Ramesh, demanded an all-party meeting chaired by the Prime Minister to discuss the ceasefire pact. He also questioned US Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s mention of “neutral site” and asked if the government had opened the doors to third-party mediation in the Kashmir issue.
“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,” he said.
