Former Union Minister and Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar has pointed fingers at the Indian Army and intelligence services, asserting they “let down” former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, contributing to the failure of his Sri Lanka policy. Aiyar defended Gandhi’s firm stance on protecting the integrity of both India and Sri Lanka.
Speaking at the Khushwant Singh Literary Festival 2025 during a session titled ‘Reassessing Rajiv Gandhi’s legacy for India’s future’, Aiyar expressed support for the 1987 accord. He explained that the decision to deploy the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) was an attempt to prevent Sri Lanka from fragmenting and to avoid any impact that could embolden separatist sentiments in Tamil Nadu.
Aiyar recalled Gandhi’s strategic thinking: “Rajiv knew that disintegration in Sri Lanka might cause disintegration in India.”
However, he acknowledged that the operation did not go as planned, citing significant flaws in its execution. “The Indian Army let him down, Indian intelligence let him down. But he persisted with what he thought was necessary and paid a heavy political price,” Aiyar stated.
“Rajiv Gandhi Prioritized National Interest Over Party Gains”
Aiyar drew a comparison between Rajiv Gandhi’s decision-making and the current government’s approach. He was responding to a question about the “healing touch” the Rajiv Gandhi administration applied to issues in Punjab, Kashmir, and Assam.
Reflecting on the accords reached in Punjab, Assam, Mizoram, Darjeeling, and Kashmir, Aiyar highlighted Gandhi’s distinction in consistently prioritizing the nation’s interests above his party’s immediate gains.
“What was common to all of them,” Aiyar remarked, “was that Rajiv Gandhi sacrificed the immediate party interest of the Congress for the sake of the country as a whole.”
He then offered a stark assessment of the current national security situation: “Today, it is our frontiers that are burning. We have problems in the Thar Desert which are still not out. In Punjab, the BJP has destroyed itself. In Jammu and Kashmir, the pot is simmering. In Ladakh, the pot is no longer simmering; it’s blowing up,” Aiyar concluded.