Modi 'twisted decisions' of his predecessors for 'petty debating points': Congress

The Congress on Friday hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his criticism of then PM Indira Gandhi’s decision to use the Indian Air Force in Mizoram in 1966, saying he “twisted decisions” taken by his predecessors out of their political and historical context to score “petty debating points”.

Responding to the no-confidence motion in the Lok Sabha, Modi referred to incidents such as the use of the Air Force to “attack the people in Mizoram”, a radio transmission of the then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru in 1962 leaving the people of the northeast to fend for themselves during the Chinese invasion as cases in point of Congress’ “neglect” of the region.

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Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said that the prime minister’s speech on Thursday revealed the influence of “mischievous distorians on his thinking”.

“He twisted decisions taken by his predecessors out of their political and historical context. He did it only to score petty debating points. This is perhaps only to be expected from someone who claims to be a MA in Entire Political Science,” Ramesh said.

Modi’s criticism of Indira Gandhi’s extraordinarily tough decision of March 1966 in Mizoram to deal with secessionist forces that drew support from Pakistan and China was “particularly pathetic”, the Congress leader said on Twitter.

“She saved Mizoram, started negotiations with those fighting the Indian state and finally a Peace Accord was signed on June 30, 1986. The manner in which the Accord came about is a remarkable story that reinforces the idea of India in Mizoram today,” Ramesh said.

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Anyone who takes their role as prime minister with full responsibility for the “incredibly tough decisions” one needs to make in that chair would never have said this, he added.

In his remarks, Modi attacked the Congress, saying its politics is the root cause of all the problems of the northeast. He recalled the time of the Congress government in the state when every institution operated at the beck and call of extremist organisations and putting up a photograph of Mahatma Gandhi in government offices was forbidden.

(With agency inputs)