Deeply Disappointed With PM's Speech: Congress
The Congress party reiterated that there was shock and surprise across the country over the sudden ceasefire and that too announced by the US President.
NEW DELHI: The Congress on Monday said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi "deeply disappointed" the nation with his speech on Monday evening, as he did not answer many questions regarding Operation Sindoor and US President Donald Trump's mediation claims for which the country was waiting.
The Congress party reiterated that there was shock and surprise across the country over the sudden ceasefire and that too announced by the US President.
“The government has lost both the moral courage and moral authority,” senior party leader and former Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot remarked while addressing a press conference at the AICC office in the national capital today.
Observing that the US President's statements were disturbing and dangerous, Mr Gehlot took strong objection to him suggesting mediation in solving the Kashmir issue. He asked whether Mr Trump was making those remarks on his own or if he had the consent of the government of India. He also pointed out that Mr Trump has started equating India with Pakistan.
Mr Gehlot observed that the US has always tried to pressurise India, pointing out how it threatened India during the 1971 war by deploying its Seventh Naval Fleet in the Bay of Bengal. He pointed out, despite that, the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi went ahead and broke Pakistan into two parts, besides forcing 93,000 Pakistani soldiers to surrender.
Asserting that the Prime Minister needs to explain and clarify before the nation that when everything was going so well and our defence forces had the upper hand, making the Pakistani forces bite the dust, what happened all of a sudden that a ceasefire was announced so spontaneously. He observed that a golden opportunity to settle the issue of terrorism once and for all was lost.
Mr Gehlot strongly disapproved of Mr Trump speaking just ahead of the Prime Minister’s address to the nation and saying that the "US threatened both countries that in case they do not go for a ceasefire, trade will be stopped".
The Congress leader asserted that the Prime Minister should have responded and clarified the statements made by the US President. He said, "Our government’s silence had further emboldened Mr Trump and he was making statements one after another to the extent of involving himself in the Kashmir issue, which is very dangerous. He made it categorically clear that no third-party mediation, not even from the United Nations, is acceptable.
Observing that a golden opportunity to completely dismantle the terror infrastructure in Pakistan was lost, Mr Gehlot expressed concern that there was no guarantee that Pakistan will not resort to acts of terror like those in Pahalgam and Pulwama again.
The Congress leader maintained that if the ceasefire had to be reached, it should have been initiated at the level of the Prime Minister or the external affairs minister, not by a third party. He said that there should have been concrete guarantees ensuring that in future, Pakistan and its army will not allow terrorist incidents against India.
Referring to Mr Modi’s remarks that "terror and talks and blood and water can’t flow together", Mr Gehlot said, "The Prime Minister is known for such statements, but what actually matters is whether the big things he said last night will be implemented in the future."
The senior Congress leader reiterated his party’s demand for an all-party meeting and a special session of the Parliament to address various concerns of the citizens. Mr Gehlot also recalled the 1971 war, saying America had exerted pressure on India at that time too. "But we never bowed down and divided Pakistan into two. Even during the Shimla Agreement, we did not let any other country come between us."