Sonia invokes Indira to warn Pakistan: Don’t test our patience

Accusing Pakistan of aiding and abetting terrorist activities in India, Congress president Sonia Gandhi today invoked the name of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, in an apparent reference to the 1971 war that led to the break-up of Pakistan and creation of Bangladesh, to send Islamabad a stern warning over its failure to act against terror.

“I have said it before and I am saying it again. Nobody should construe India’s patience as weakness. Those who are aiding and abetting terrorism from across the border will get a fitting reply. Our inspiration is Indiraji,” Gandhi said in her address at the national convention of district and block Congress committee presidents in New Delhi.

Her warning to Pakistan was accentuated by External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee’s remark that “all our options are open”. Home Minister P Chidambaram reiterated the government’s policy of “zero tolerance” towards terrorism and also disapproved of those who think “Hindu militancy is the way to go and defend India”.

Claiming that the Congress is the “only party” that can fight against terrorism with support and strength from all sections of the society, Gandhi made a blistering attack on the BJP for seeking to make political capital out of terror by trying to “incite” public sentiments and by “deliberately” delaying important legislation's through disruptions in Parliament.

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