BJP MP Anurag Thakur has launched a strong critique against the Congress party, accusing it of repeatedly surrendering and making compromises in the face of threats from Pakistan and terrorist organisations.

In a recent parliamentary debate, Thakur framed Congress’s historical and current stances as undermining India’s counter-terrorism efforts. He specifically referenced the 1971 India-Pakistan war, questioning why Prime Minister Indira Gandhi did not regain control of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) despite India securing the surrender of 93,000 Pakistani soldiers.

According to Thakur, this represented a significant act of surrender that, in his view, demonstrated a pattern of concessions made by Congress governments.

Thakur extended this criticism by recalling policy decisions like the introduction of the Prevention of Terrorism Act (POTA) under Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, which was later repealed by the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government.

He implied that this repeal was indicative of Congress’s unwillingness to adopt a tough stance on terrorism. Thakur further accused Congress and some of its leaders, such as Rahul Gandhi, of sympathising with Pakistan’s narratives and questioning government claims about cross-border terrorism, particularly following the recent Pahalgam terror attack.

He went so far as to label the current iteration of Congress as "Rahul-Occupied Congress" and disparagingly compared its rhetoric to that of Pakistan, alleging that its objections often echo Islamabad’s propaganda.

The immediate backdrop to Thakur’s statements was a controversial remark by senior Congress leader P Chidambaram, who questioned the Indian government’s attribution of the Pahalgam attack to Pakistani terrorists and suggested the possibility that the attackers could have been homegrown.

Chidambaram criticised the government for a lack of transparency regarding the identities of the attackers and the status of the investigation. This led BJP leaders, including Thakur, to charge Congress with shielding terror sponsors and prioritising human rights for terrorists over national security.

In Parliament, Thakur sharpened his attack by asserting that Congress, and in particular Rahul Gandhi, had become the "poster boy of Pakistan's propaganda" and that their criticisms not only diminished morale but also provided ammunition for hostile foreign narratives.

He accused the party of asking questions that Pakistan itself would ask and failing to unequivocally condemn acts of terrorism targeting Indian citizens, further entrenching his argument that Congress has a history of political "surrender."

These statements by Thakur were part of a broader, highly charged debate in Parliament, wherein BJP leaders defended the government’s hardline responses, including recent military actions during Operation Sindoor, and contrasted them with Congress's alleged softness on issues of national security. In turn, Congress questioned the government’s handling of the aftermath, transparency over casualties, and international diplomacy.

The exchange underscores deep political divisions in India over the appropriate response to terrorism and the interplay between national security and political discourse.

Thakur’s statements are emblematic of the BJP's election-time rhetoric aimed at portraying Congress as weak on issues of national security and ascribing to it motives that undermine India’s sovereignty and public confidence in state institutions.

Based On ANI Report