Assam Chief Minister Himanta Sarma said on Tuesday had former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi been alive, he would have questioned her about the strategic decisions she made during the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War, particularly regarding the “chicken neck” corridor and the handling of post-war negotiations.
“What was the benefit of creating Bangladesh?” Mr Sarma asked during a press conference held at Vajpayee Bhawan in Guwahati.
“Our army had won the 1971 war. Had Indira Gandhi been alive today, I would have asked her why she allowed the creation of an Islamic nation. Why did she not take back Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (PoK) in the Simla Agreement? Why didn’t she expand the Chicken’s Neck corridor by negotiating for 100 more miles from Bangladesh?” he asked.
The Chief Minister suggested the former Prime Minister could have turned the Chicken’s Neck corridor into a “proper road”.
“You didn’t take the chicken neck. You could have turned it into a proper road. Instead, we have a fundamentalist country as our neighbour today,” said the Chief Minister.
“You converted the will of the Indian Armed Forces into your personal desire to become a secular leader. It was a surrendered nation. You could have demanded the return of PoK and access to the Chittagong port,” said Mr Sarma, continuing his attack.
On Sunday, posters featuring slogans like “Indira Hona Aasan Nahi” and “India Misses Indira” were displayed outside the Congress headquarters in Delhi, shortly after India and Pakistan agreed on a ceasefire after four days of military hostilities.
On Saturday, Congress leader KC Venugopal recalled the former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi’s leadership during the 1971 India-Pakistan War.
Congress leader Pawan Khera also posted images of former PM on X and captioned it, “India misses Indira.”
Defending the ceasefire with Pakistan, Mr Sarma said the objective of Operation Sindoor, a counterstrike against Pakistan for the deadly Pahalgam terror attack that claimed 26 lives, was to punish and dismantle the terror network and it was achieved successfully on the night of May 6 itself.
“Operation Sindoor’s objective was to punish terrorists, and that was achieved within six nights and the seventh morning, with the killing of 150 terrorists on Pakistani soil,” said Mr Sarma.
The BJP leader underlined that India’s continued retaliation was a response to Pakistan acting on behalf of terrorists.
“Once Pakistan realised they would be decimated, they contacted our Director General of Military Operations (DGMO). Now Congress must say should the Indian government have continued the war even after Pakistan backed off?” he asked.
The Chief Minister then directly addressed the Congress.
“What did they do during their rule after repeated terrorist attacks in India? Today, they criticise Modi ji, but he has shown India’s resolve in Balakot, Pulwama, and now in Pahalgam. Congress should introspect instead of criticising others,” he cautioned.