New Delhi: The Congress and other Opposition parties are trying to keep a guard against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP trying to leverage political points over Indian forces' pounding of Pakistan's terror camps and some defence assets during the ' Operation Sindoor' till the agreement to end the fighting.
While the Congress leadership on Sunday questioned the rationale of US President Donald Trump announcing the "ceasefire" and Secretary of State Macro Rubio talking about further talks at "a neutral site", the party warned against the "internationalisation" of the Kashmir issue. Leaders of Opposition Rahul Gandhi and Kharge again wrote to the PM urging him to hold a special Parliament session to discuss issues, including the operation and ceasefire. Some voices from within the party also pointed to how "external intervention" has been happening since 1990 and about how the circumstances and objectives of the 1971 war were different from those of the 2025 fight.
At the official AICC briefing, senior Congress leader Sachin Pilot hailed the Indian forces and criticised Pakistan for the ceasefire violation on Saturday even as he warned against the "internationalization" of the Kashmir issue. "America announced the ceasefire, and the American side also said things like 'discussions to be held at a neutral place'. It's a worrying subject. Internationalisation of Kashmir is not acceptable to us," Pilot said, adding a special Parliament session be held, which also must reiterate the 1994 resolution that Pakistan occupied Kashmir is an integral part of India.
Meanwhile, Congress MP Manish Tewari pointed out how "external intervention" during the Indo-Pak tension has been a reality since 1990 even as he favoured a special session. "The reality is that since 1990, whenever there has been any tension between India and Pakistan, there has been external intervention. It's a hard truth, and you cannot hide. The way Marco Rubio announced the ceasefire, and that a wide range of discussions will take place at a neutral place, make it clear. To discuss the ceasefire, and whether it is conditional, a special session of Parliament should be called," he said.
Even as the Congress leadership highlighted since Saturday the 1971 war during the Indira Gandhi regime to project a contrast, senior party leader Shashi Tharoor told media that the circumstances and objectives of 1971 and 2025 were different. "1971 was a great achievement, Indira Gandhiji rewrote the map of the subcontinent, but the circumstances were different. Today's Pakistan is a different situation. Their military equipment, the damage they can do, everything is different. And the circumstances (in 1971) of Bangladesh fighting a moral cause, and liberating Bangladesh was a clear objective...But this (2025) was not a war we intended to continue. We just wanted to teach terrorists a lesson. That lesson has been taught," Tharoor said.
In their second separate letters to PM Modi, Gandhi and Kharge reiterated their demand for a special session, in order to discuss the Pahalgam terror attack, 'Operation Sindoor' and the ceasefire, first announced by Trump. "This (a session) will also be an opportunity to demonstrate our collective resolve to meet the challenges ahead," Gandhi said.
While the Congress leadership on Sunday questioned the rationale of US President Donald Trump announcing the "ceasefire" and Secretary of State Macro Rubio talking about further talks at "a neutral site", the party warned against the "internationalisation" of the Kashmir issue. Leaders of Opposition Rahul Gandhi and Kharge again wrote to the PM urging him to hold a special Parliament session to discuss issues, including the operation and ceasefire. Some voices from within the party also pointed to how "external intervention" has been happening since 1990 and about how the circumstances and objectives of the 1971 war were different from those of the 2025 fight.
At the official AICC briefing, senior Congress leader Sachin Pilot hailed the Indian forces and criticised Pakistan for the ceasefire violation on Saturday even as he warned against the "internationalization" of the Kashmir issue. "America announced the ceasefire, and the American side also said things like 'discussions to be held at a neutral place'. It's a worrying subject. Internationalisation of Kashmir is not acceptable to us," Pilot said, adding a special Parliament session be held, which also must reiterate the 1994 resolution that Pakistan occupied Kashmir is an integral part of India.
Meanwhile, Congress MP Manish Tewari pointed out how "external intervention" during the Indo-Pak tension has been a reality since 1990 even as he favoured a special session. "The reality is that since 1990, whenever there has been any tension between India and Pakistan, there has been external intervention. It's a hard truth, and you cannot hide. The way Marco Rubio announced the ceasefire, and that a wide range of discussions will take place at a neutral place, make it clear. To discuss the ceasefire, and whether it is conditional, a special session of Parliament should be called," he said.
Even as the Congress leadership highlighted since Saturday the 1971 war during the Indira Gandhi regime to project a contrast, senior party leader Shashi Tharoor told media that the circumstances and objectives of 1971 and 2025 were different. "1971 was a great achievement, Indira Gandhiji rewrote the map of the subcontinent, but the circumstances were different. Today's Pakistan is a different situation. Their military equipment, the damage they can do, everything is different. And the circumstances (in 1971) of Bangladesh fighting a moral cause, and liberating Bangladesh was a clear objective...But this (2025) was not a war we intended to continue. We just wanted to teach terrorists a lesson. That lesson has been taught," Tharoor said.
In their second separate letters to PM Modi, Gandhi and Kharge reiterated their demand for a special session, in order to discuss the Pahalgam terror attack, 'Operation Sindoor' and the ceasefire, first announced by Trump. "This (a session) will also be an opportunity to demonstrate our collective resolve to meet the challenges ahead," Gandhi said.
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