Times of India: [2] Chief minister Ashok Gehlot on Monday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of ignoring Indira Gandhi’s role in the creation of Bangladesh, saying he failed to mention her during his recent visit there to mark the 50th anniversary of its independence.[3] Modi had participated in the Golden Jubilee celebrations of Bangladesh’s independence in 1971, when Indian forces defeated the Pakistani army and took thousands of its soldiers as prisoners.[4] Gehlot said Modi skipped any reference to the then PM during the visit. “Indira Gandhi did not bow down to US threats. But it is the country’s misfortune that the Prime Minister goes to Bangladesh and does not mention how Indira Gandhi contributed to the liberation of Bangladesh and how 90,000 Pakistani soldiers surrendered,” Gehlot said.
The Congress leader added that the respect that Modi has got from foreign governments and Non-Resident Indians during his visits abroad is not just for him. It is respect for independent India’s 70-year journey. Now, a US paper has written that democracy in India is shrinking, and the country’s institutions and system are stressed, the CM said. He claimed that the nation is heading towards a ‘dangerous turn’. The BJP is committed to carrying out RSS’s agenda, Gehlot said, referring also to ‘love jihad’ – the right-wing allegation that Muslim youth are marrying Hindu women to convert them. Gehlot alleged that the judiciary, Election Commission of India, Income Tax department and other agencies are working under pressure. On railways, he said it was a priority sector for former PM Jawaharlal Nehru. He said rail network has played an important role in keeping a country of different languages and religions united.