Congress slams Centre over ceasefire decision

Sandeep Sankhyan, spokesperson for the Himachal Pradesh Congress Committee, criticised the Centre over the recent ceasefire, questioning whether India’s foreign policy and war strategy were now being dictated by the United States.

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Speaking to the media in Bilaspur, Sankhyan asked whether the people of India had given a mandate to the BJP or to the US President. “The entire nation is asking — has India surrendered its strategic autonomy?” he said.

He claimed this was the first time since Independence that such a ceasefire had taken place under foreign influence. Drawing a comparison with the 1971 war, he noted that then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi had decisively split Pakistan into two, while the present situation had “tarnished India’s dignity” through external intervention.

“If a ceasefire had to be done, it should have been on India’s terms — not at the behest of US President Donald Trump,” Sankhyan asserted. He also criticised the Centre for not demanding the extradition of the terrorists involved in the killing of 26 innocent Indians in Pahalgam, allegedly after asking their religion.

He questioned why, despite an all-party consensus on taking aggressive action, the ceasefire decision was taken unilaterally. Sankhyan further alleged that the BJP has long used Pakistan as a political tool, but when the time came to act decisively, the government bowed to international pressure.

“This move has exposed the true ideology and character of BJP leaders,” he added.