Cong says govt forgot Indira Gandhi on 50th anniversary of 1971 war

The Congress on Thursday accused the government of indulging in petty politics by not remembering former prime minister Indira Gandhi during Vijay Diwas celebrations and termed it of being 'misogynist'.

Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi recalled Indira Gandhi's role in Bangladesh's liberation and said it was under her leadership that India won the war to save the idea of democracy.

'Remembering the martyrs and veterans of the 1971 war. India won the war to save the idea of democracy under the able leadership of Former PM Smt. Indira Gandhi ji. Jai Hind! #VijayDiwas2021,' he tweeted.

He also accused the government of ignoring his grandmother's role in the 1971 War and said victory was achieved as the country was united then.

She took '32 bullets for the country' but her name was not even mentioned at a government event in New Delhi on the anniversary of the victory over Pakistan, he said in Dehradun, adding 'However, it does not make any difference because I know what she did for the country by giving her blood'.

He said the credit for the 1971 War victory goes to the 'united fight put up by Indians regardless of their cast or religion'.

His sister and All India Congress Committee general secretary Priyanka Vadra said, "Our first and only woman Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi is being left out of the misogynist BJP government's Vijay Diwas celebrations."

She said, this happened on the 50th anniversary of the day that she led India to victory and liberated Bangladesh.

"Narendra Modi ji, women don't believe your platitudes. Your patronising attitude is unacceptable. It's about time you started giving women their due," Vadra said.

Congress president Sonia Gandhi had at a function on Wednesday said that '1971 - in many ways was Indira Gandhi's finest year'.

"It was this extraordinary convergence of a well-planned political, diplomatic and military strategy that gave 1971- a distinctive place in the history of the sub-continent. It was a history that reshaped geography as well," Sonia Gandhi said, adding that the 1971 war was a victory of the people of India under the leadership of Indira Gandhi.

Senior Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge said it was unfortunate that the government did not recognise the role played by Indira Gandhi in the liberation of Bangladesh during the celebrations.

He said Indira Gandhi used all force to help liberate Bangladesh from Pakistan, which was broken into two pieces, but some people today sought to forget Indira Gandhi and her contribution and did not remember her for her role in the Vijay Diwas.

"They give speeches on Vijay Diwas, they should also tell which government was there at the time and who was leading it," he said, recalling how thousands of Pakistani soldiers were also held at the time and they were later released.

"Bangladesh remembers Indira ji, but our people forget her. Former prime minister Indira Gandhi lauded Indira Gandhi and termed as 'Durga'. The good work done for the country should be remembered and not forgotten. It is very unfortunate that the prime minister and the government did not even name then prime minister Indira Gandhi," he told reporters.

Kharge alleged that even inside Parliament, they were not allowed to say anything on this occasion and only the chairman spoke a few words.

Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala accused the Bharatiya Janata Party government of indulging in petty and cheap politics by not naming Indira Gandhi who led from the front and gave decisive leadership at the time.

'The Modi government and the BJP will not deter from their cheap and petty politics. On the 50th Vijay Diwas of Bangladesh's independence, the Prime Minister and the people in the government did not even take the name of Indira Gandhi, the 'Iron Lady' of the 1971 war, is an example of their frustrated and narrow mindset,' Surjewala said in a tweet in Hindi, using hashtag 'Bangladesh".

Deputy leader of Congress in Lok Sabha Gaurav Gogoi said it is unfortunate that the prime minister feels so insecure to not even name Indira Gandhi who gave the leadership during the 1971 war with Pakistan that led to the liberation of Bangladesh.

"Today our prime minister unfortunately is so insecure and so weak that he cannot even name the role of Indira Gandhi. This is nothing but an attempt to whitewash and change history. But that will not happen as we will continue to highlight the role played by Indira Gandhi to the next generations," he told reporters outside Parliament.

He said the people of India know what role Indira Gandhi played during the Bangladesh liberation war.

"It is unfortunate that the government is indulging in such petty politics. It is another blot on the prime minister's record," Gogoi alleged.