A month ago, the Congress at its AICC Session in Ahmedabad sought to define the party’s idea of ‘nationalism’, saying it is based on social, political and economic justice and empowerment of the people, in contrast to the “pseudo-nationalism” of the BJP-RSS, which “aims to erase India’s diversity”.
The Pahalgam terror attack, Operation Sindoor and the subsequent military standoff between India and Pakistan – and now the BJP setting in motion a nationwide outreach – has returned the Congress back to the drawing board.
It is familiar ground for the party, which has often found itself playing catch-up to the BJP on the issue.
This time, the Congress started out playing its cards with strategic care – as did other Opposition parties – announcing unequivocal support for the Modi government after the April 22 Pahalgam attack and for the armed forces after Operation Sindoor. Questions about security and intelligence lapses were left for “later”.
But then came the sudden announcement of a ceasefire, with US President Donald Trump beating the Modi government to it – and the Congress saw a valid ground to go on the offensive. With several INDIA partners also asking questions, the Congress pointed to the US “hand” and asked whether this meant the Modi government had accepted third-party mediation in settling the Kashmir dispute.
Several party leaders asked the government to explain US Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s statement that India and Pakistan have agreed to “start talks on a broad set of issues at a neutral site”, and to reveal what assurances it got from Islamabad about dismantling the terror infrastructure to agree to a ceasefire.
However, even as the section of the Congress leadership that calls the shots in the party has cemented this line, there are others who fear the party is again playing into the BJP’s hands – an apprehension that has strengthened with the BJP led by Modi changing gears on Operation Sindoor and starting a public campaign on it.
As these leaders argue, holding the Modi government to account on the US’s apparent mediation is misplaced as this was “inevitable” and “unsurprising”, given that India and Pakistan are both nuclear armed.
After an address to the nation Tuesday on Operation Sindoor, drawing “new red lines on terror” emanating from Pakistan, Modi Wednesday visited the Adampur Air Force base and underlined this “new normal”. The government has also stepped up its briefings on the operation, with a top military officer addressing defence attaches across a swathe of countries Wednesday. The BJP, meanwhile, has rolled out nationwide Tiranga Yatras.
As per Congress leaders not in accordance with the party on the ceasefire, Modi is once again setting the nationalism narrative and the Congress may end up fuelling it.
A senior Congress leader also questioned other demands raised by the party. “Although I still believe the government has to answer questions regarding the US involvement, our demand for an all-party meeting, special session of Parliament pales before the Modi hard talk,” the leader believes.
In the process, the party’s determination not to have different voices on the issue has frayed.
On Tuesday, speaking at the Congress headquarters in Delhi, senior leader Ashok Gehlot tore into the Modi government, saying it had let a “golden opportunity” slip. “Azerbaijan and Turkey came out in open support of Pakistan… Other countries, our neighbours, should have backed us… The Prime Minister should explain. The government has lost moral authority and moral courage… We had an opportunity to wipe out terrorism in Pakistan once and for all… Six months later, they (the terrorists) will come back… This was a golden opportunity for the Prime Minister, the country… Usko humne kho diya, ceasefire kar diya (We squandered it, announced a ceasefire),” Gehlot said.
He also dismissed the Tiranga Yatras planned by the BJP as the reaction of a “rattled” party.
A leader in support of this strong pushback against the Modi government argued that the public shares the party’s sentiments regarding the abrupt ceasefire. “We need to drive home that the government was forced to agree to a ceasefire under pressure from the US.”
However, another leader said: “My sense is that people are happy that the standoff did not lead to a full-fledged war. We struck the terror camps, and we proved our point that terrorism will not go unpunished.” Among the Congress leaders who have argued along these lines are Shashi Tharoor and Manish Tewari.
Meanwhile, the man whom Congress leaders may be looking at to take their cue, Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi, has been strangely silent.
