Rijiju Cites Indira Gandhi's 1971 Letter To Counter Rahul Gandhi's ‘No Political Will' Charge
Union Minister Kiren Rijiju has hit back at Congress leader and Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, who accused the government of lacking the 'political will" to strike Pakistan during the recent Operation Sindoor. The fiery exchange comes after a heated debate in Parliament, where Gandhi claimed the Centre tied the hands of the armed forces during the four-day border conflict, resulting in the loss of Indian aircraft.
As reported by NDTV, Rijiju responded by invoking history—specifically, a letter written by then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi to former US President Richard Nixon during the 1971 India-Pakistan war. Sharing the letter's US archives link on X (formerly Twitter), Rijiju questioned the Congress party's legacy of political resolve. 'Please give four minutes to see this text of the letter of Indira Gandhi to President Nixon. Is this the political will of Indira Gandhi ji?" he wrote.
Dated December 5, 1971, Indira Gandhi's letter appealed to the US to urge Pakistan to end its 'wanton aggression" and 'military adventurism." She also requested Nixon to use his influence to address the root cause of the conflict—East Bengal (now Bangladesh).
Rijiju's remarks were a direct rebuttal to Rahul Gandhi's charge that the Modi government failed to back the armed forces during Operation Sindoor. Gandhi alleged that the Defence Minister had acknowledged constraints placed on the military, suggesting a lack of will at the political level.
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First Published:
July 30, 2025, 09:13 IST
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