BJP lawmaker Nishikant Dubey has revived an old controversy after blaming former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi of giving away Indian territory to Pakistan in 1968.
Pointing to the post-war border deal in the Rann of Kutch region, Dubey termed the incident as "very painful" and alleged that the Congress party "auctioned" Indian land under foreign pressure despite Parliament opposition. He maintained this was the "truth" behind India's "Iron Lady" legacy.
On social media site X, Dubey said, "Today's tale is highly distressing. Having won the 1965 war, the Congress party sold 828 sq km of the Rann of Kutch in Gujarat to Pakistan in 1968. We took the India-Pakistan matter to the international arena and nominated Yugoslavia lawyer Ali Babar as mediator."
He further commented, "The whole Parliament was against it, but Indira Gandhi was the Iron Lady; she sold our portion out of fright. This is the reality of the Iron Lady. Congress hand is always with Pakistan."
Dubey's remarks are a reference to the international arbitration subsequent to the 1965 Indo-Pak conflict, specifically the border conflict in the Rann of Kutch.
The year 1968 saw an international tribunal adjudicate the Indo-Pakistan Western Boundary Case, where it was held that India would keep about 90 percent of the disputed territory, while Pakistan would be given around 10 percent of it—about 828 square kilometers.
This tribunal was established after both nations mutually decided that their disagreement would be resolved through international arbitration with an impartial board examining historical claims.
The judgment was meant to settle long-standing problems, such as the issue of Sir Creek, and to de-escalate tensions along the western border.
Dubey, however, sees this as leadership failure. He blamed then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi of yielding to international pressure by allowing Indian territory to be handed over. To support his argument, he released a document on X that allegedly proved India ceded 828 square kilometers to Pakistan.
These charges are made at a time of heightened political tension and are likely to reopen discussion about past choices made when Congress was in power.
Though both countries had accepted the award of boundaries then as a peace-making gesture, Dubey's statement presents it as a political and diplomatic loss for India.
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