Jan Suraaj founder Prashant Kishor has strongly criticised the Centre’s decision to end military operations against Pakistan just four days into Operation Sindoor, which India carried out to avenge the Pahalgam terror attack. In an interview with ANI, He questioned that, if Pakistan was “on its knees,” why India chose to “compromise”. Kishor also suggested that the decision to agree to a ceasefire could negatively impact the BJP’s performance ahead of the Bihar polls later this year.
He quoted statements by both External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Home Minister Amit Shah, and said that if Pakistan had indeed requested the ceasefire, implying it was under significant pressure, then India should have taken advantage of that position.
‘If Pakistan had come to its knees…’
“Our Foreign Minister said, regarding Operation Sindoor, that the ceasefire happened at the request of Pakistan. So, I agree with Jaishankar. If there was a ceasefire, it means that Pakistan was under pressure. So if the operation was successful and Pakistan had come to its knees, why did you agree to a ceasefire? You should have let it continue for one or two more days. The people of the country are asking the same thing. Why did you ceasefire all of a sudden? People across the country stood up with you,” Kishor said in an interview with ANI.
India launched Operation Sindoor on the intervening night of May 7 and 8 and hit nine terror hotbeds in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. The attack came in response to the barbaric April 22 attack in the Valley, in which 25 Indians and one Nepali citizen were killed. The ceasefire was reached on May 10.
“And if the condition of Pakistan is such that in just a few days, they had come to their knees for a ceasefire. So, they would have allowed it to go on for a few more days. Amit Shah said in Parliament that we are the people who are going to die for the country. We aim to take Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. So if taking PoK was the aim and Pakistan was on its knees, then why did you ceasefire? If Balochistan had to be given freedom and Pakistan was on its knees, then why did you ceasefire? Why did you compromise? And if it wasn’t, then what you are telling is wrong. Both things can’t be right,” he added.
He added that although US President Donald Trump took credit for brokering the ceasefire, he remains sceptical of that claim and believes the government’s version of events.
However, Kishor questioned the timing of the decision, reiterating that the ceasefire came too early. He argued that the military operation could have continued for another one or two days and would have only made sense if India had achieved a clear objective, such as taking Pakistan-occupied Kashmir or supporting the freedom of Balochistan. He added that former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi had shown strong leadership during the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War, which ultimately led to the creation of Bangladesh.
He also pointed to the nationwide mock drills conducted following Operation Sindoor, suggesting that the country was well-prepared for the attacks.
Pakistan’s nuclear status not new
When ANI editor Smita Prakash intervened and said that Pakistan is a nuclear-armed state and questioned how long the operation could realistically continue, Kishor responded that Pakistan’s nuclear status was not a new development. He questioned why the government chose not to see the operation through to its logical conclusion.
“Pakistan did not become a nuclear state now; it was not made after the Operation Sindoor. It was there before. They (the government) should have told us earlier that they would start, but they would stop because of the fear of nuclear power. They should have told the country earlier. The people of the country did not say that we are afraid of nuclear power,” he told ANI.
He added, “In the time of Indira Gandhi, she did not say in the beginning that it was our goal to liberate Bangladesh. But the BJP leaders themselves are saying, What did you see in Indira Gandhi? We will divide Pakistan into four pieces. We will make Balochistan independent, and we will take PoK. So, it had to be done. Then you say, it is a nuclear state. So, why did the fight start?”
He said that the BJP could suffer losses in the upcoming elections due to the abrupt halt of the operation, especially after Trump’s tweet. “If you ask me as an analyst, the BJP will be at a loss by the manner in which Operation Sindoor was halted. And especially after Trump’s tweet, I am telling you my experience. Someone sent me Trump’s tweet from America about the ceasefire. So I said, it will be photoshopped. How can this happen? You can’t believe this. I felt that this can’t happen.”
“PM is saying Operation Sindoor is going on. Its form has changed. They also can’t say that it has stopped. They also know that the people of the country didn’t want it to stop. The way the ceasefire happened, the BJP will face political losses,” he further said.
Nitish Kumar would not return as Chief Minister
In a separate interview, he predicted that Nitish Kumar would not return as Chief Minister, adding that he was willing to put it in writing. This comes after a survey by his team revealed that 62% of people in Bihar want change. He added that it would be interesting to see whether they will vote for his new party, or Lalu Yadav’s Rashtriya Janata Dal or the Congress.
“In the next two months, it will be decided who the over 60% of people who want change will vote for. Will they vote again for those who have let them down before? Will they trust them? Or will they opt for a new alternative? Either way, Nitish Kumar will definitely not be the chief minister after November (when the Assembly elections are expected to be held). I can give this to you in writing. Bihar will have a new chief minister,” he told NDTV.
He added, “All of Bihar knows that Nitish Kumar’s mental and physical condition is not such that he can get anything done. A person who is sitting on a stage and forgetting the name of the Prime Minister sitting next to him; who, when the national anthem is playing, doesn’t know whether it’s the national anthem or a ‘qawwali’… who hasn’t addressed the media in a year. A person who is not in a state to look after himself… how will he look after Bihar? So, if you and I know this, don’t PM Narendra Modi and Amit Shah?”