New Delhi, India | July 30, 2025: The ongoing parliamentary debate on ‘Operation Sindoor’ and historical narratives surrounding India’s military actions took a sharp turn today as BJP MP Nishikant Dubey made a controversial claim regarding former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi’s actions during the 1971 Indo-Pak war. Dubey asserted that despite India having captured 93,000 Pakistani soldiers, Indira Gandhi allegedly sought US help for a ceasefire.
Dubey cited a letter purportedly written by Indira Gandhi to then-US President Richard Nixon, dated December 5, 1971, requesting assistance in brokering a ceasefire. He suggested that the letter implied the Indian government was in danger and accused the Congress party of consistently 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,” Dubey stated. He further questioned the historical account, implying a cover-up: “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…”
Dubey concluded his remarks by stating that he has formally requested the Speaker to expunge Rahul Gandhi’s previous day’s speech or demand an apology from him in Parliament.
Dubey’s comments directly counter remarks made by Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday. Rahul Gandhi had asserted that the current government lacks the political will to confront Pakistan effectively, unlike the Indira Gandhi-led government in 1971. He drew parallels between the 1971 war, which led to the creation of Bangladesh, and ‘Operation Sindoor,’ arguing that the current government’s resolve pales in comparison to the Congress leadership of that era.
Rahul Gandhi had stressed that effective utilization of the Indian Armed Forces requires “100% political will and full freedom of operation,” which he believes the current government has failed to provide. He specifically referenced Defence Minister Rajnath Singh’s remarks in Lok Sabha yesterday, where Singh 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,” Rahul Gandhi stated, emphasizing Indira Gandhi’s decisive leadership.
Furthermore, Rahul Gandhi cited remarks from Chief of Defence Staff Lieutenant General Anil Chauhan and Captain Shiv Kumar, Defence Attache, Indonesia, to allege that India lost fighter jets in a recent operation because armed forces were “constrained by political leadership.”
The LoP detailed his accusation: “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.”
He continued, “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…”
Rahul Gandhi concluded by squarely placing the blame for lost fighter jets on the Central government’s political leadership, asserting that no tactical mistake was made by the air force. “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,” he reiterated.
The heated exchange underscores the ongoing political battle over historical interpretations and the efficacy of current defense policies in the Indian Parliament.