Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Nishikant Dubey on Friday accused Congress leader Rahul Gandhi of hypocrisy for questioning External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar. Dubey cited a 1991 Indo-Pak military transparency agreement, signed during a Congress-supported government, to claim that the Congress party has historically aligned with what he called a “Pakistani vote bank.”
In a post on X, Dubey alleged that the 1991 agreement required India and Pakistan to exchange information about military operations.
He wrote, “Rahul Gandhi ji, this is an agreement made during the time of your government. In 1991, your party-supported government made an agreement that India and Pakistan would exchange information about any attack or army movement. Is this agreement treason?”
राहुल गांधी @RahulGandhi जी यह आपकी बनाई हुई सरकार के समय का समझौता है ।1991 में आपकी पार्टी समर्थित सरकार ने यह समझौता किया कि किसी भी आक्रमण या सेना के मूवमेंट की जानकारी का आदान प्रदान भारत व पाकिस्तान एक दूसरे से करेगा।क्या यह समझौता देशद्रोह है? कांग्रेस का हाथ पाकिस्तानी… pic.twitter.com/Me8XFHm0da
— Dr Nishikant Dubey (@nishikant_dubey) May 23, 2025
Further criticizing Gandhi, Dubey added, “Congress is hand in glove with the Pakistani vote bank, does it suit you to make objectionable comments on Foreign Minister Dr S. Jaishankar ji?”
Speaking to ANI, Dubey continued his attack, stating, “…We consider Pakistan a terrorist nation since 1947, we are fighting with them over the issue of Kashmir for 78 years and our part of Kashmir has been occupied by Pakistan. Even after that, you (Congress) have been giving concessions to Pakistan. Be it the Nehru-Liaquat Pact in 1950, Indus Water Treaty, the Simla Agreement of 1975. We don’t talk about how the defence system of a nation functions in the Parliament also…”
He further said, “But in 1991, when you were extending support to the Chandra Shekhar-led government and in 1994, when there was a government of P. V. Narasimha Rao, then it (agreement) was implemented and you wrote where the army, navy will be deployed and how the air force would function…Do all these things not amount to treason? Congress cheated the nation just for the sake of vote bank politics…India should start a case of Treason and an FIR should be registered against those who made this agreement and the Congress party…”
The Congress party responded strongly, denying any responsibility for the pact. A party spokesperson stated, “This person needs to know that in late February 1991, Indian National Congress had withdrawn support from the Chandrashekhar govt. Elections to the 10th Loksabha had already been announced.”
This exchange comes in the wake of Rahul Gandhi’s renewed criticism of Jaishankar earlier this week. The Congress MP questioned the minister’s silence on the number of Indian Air Force aircraft lost during Operation Sindoor, asserting that the country “deserves the truth.”
Operation Sindoor, launched on May 7, was a retaliatory strike by India in response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack. The operation targeted terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK), killing over 100 terrorists. In retaliation, Pakistan carried out drone attacks and shelling along the border. India responded with airstrikes on 11 Pakistani airbases. Both nations agreed to cease hostilities on May 10.