1971, 2025 not same: Tharoor responds to Congress's Indira Gandhi campaign amid ceasefire with Pak
New Delhi: Amid the Congress party’s campaign spotlighting former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi’s leadership during the 1971 Bangladesh liberation war, senior party leader Shashi Tharoor emphasised that the current situation in 2025 cannot be equated with the circumstances of 1971.
Speaking to ANI following the recent ceasefire agreement between India and Pakistan, Tharoor said, “The truth is that the circumstances of 1971 are not the circumstances of 2025. There are differences.” While acknowledging Indira Gandhi’s achievements, he underlined that today’s geopolitical and military realities are vastly different.
“The 1971 victory was a great achievement and Indira Gandhiji rewrote the map of the subcontinent,” Tharoor said. However, he noted that unlike the moral cause of liberating Bangladesh, the recent conflict risked becoming a prolonged war with no clear objective. “Liberating Bangladesh is a clear objective. Just firing shells at Pakistan is not,” he added.
Tharoor stated that while teaching terrorists a lesson was necessary, extending the conflict further would have risked more Indian lives. “We have suffered a lot. Ask the people of Poonch how many have died. This was not a war we intended to continue,” he said, referring to the Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 civilians.
He asserted that those responsible for the attack must be brought to justice, even if it takes months or years. “But that doesn't mean we should put the entire nation at risk in a prolonged war,” Tharoor warned, stressing the need for peace and national development.
Shortly after the ceasefire announcement, several Congress leaders shared images of Indira Gandhi, seen as a veiled criticism of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's handling of the situation. Responding to this, BJP spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia questioned the Congress's silence on former PM Manmohan Singh’s response to the 26/11 Mumbai attacks.
Meanwhile, Congress communications chief Jairam Ramesh demanded an all-party meeting to discuss the ceasefire, and raised concerns over US Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s reference to a “neutral site,” suggesting possible third-party involvement 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,” Ramesh stated.
#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
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JD(U) supremo Nitish Kumar's son Nishant to start maiden political yatra on Sunday
Patna (PTI): JD(U) leader Nishant Kumar, whose belated political entry has shone a ray of hope on the party rattled by his father Nitish Kumar's sudden relinquishment of power, is set to launch his first public outreach programme in Bihar on Sunday.
The 45-year-old, who joined the party only last month, is scheduled to kick off his "Sadbhav Yatra" (goodwill tour) from Valmiki Nagar in West Champaran district.
The place had been chosen multiple times by his father as the starting point for numerous "yatras" during a nearly two-decade-long tenure as the chief minister of Bihar.
The party, which is still recovering from the shock of the 75-year-old leader's sudden decision to enter the Rajya Sabha, triggering fears of a diminution in political clout, has coined a catchy slogan to announce the arrival of the heir apparent.
"Jai Nishant, tay Nishant" (victory for Nishant, his rise is inevitable) is a catchphrase that can now be seen splashed on the JD(U)'s posters as well as social media handles.
On the eve of the launch of "Sadbhav Yatra", JD(U) spokesperson and MLC Neeraj Kumar told a press conference in West Champaran's headquarters of Bettiah, that "Nishant belongs to the land where Emperor Asoka was born.
Like his father, he is starting a Yatra from the land of Sage Valmiki".
"Both Valmiki and Asoka epitomised renunciation. Our supreme leader Nitish Kumar showed the same spirit of renunciation when he decided to give up the seat of power to live by his convictions," said Neeraj Kumar.
He added that "the same dispassion for power has been demonstrated by Nishant. He could have secured a berth in the new Cabinet or the state legislature any time. But he chose to shun shortcuts and earn his spurs through the tried and tested method of mass contact".
After the JD(U) supremo stepped down as chief minister, a new government headed by BJP leader Samrat Choudhary has been formed in Bihar.
"Nitish Kumar had always followed the policy of zero tolerance for crime, corruption and communalism. The new government, too, has adopted the same as its motto. In Nishant, we have a leader who will carry forward the legacy," said Neeraj Kumar.
