"Government should raise its voice against atrocities committed against minorities in Bangladesh": Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi

Speaking in the Lok Sabha, the Congress MP from Wayanad urged the government to hold talks with Bangladesh.

"The first issue I want to discuss is that this government should raise its voice against the atrocities committed against the Hindu and Christian minorities in Bangladesh; it should hold talks with them and take their support," Priyanka Gandhi said.

Gandhi, on the occasion of Vijay Diwas, paid tribute to soldiers who fought in the 1971 war and highlighted the leadership role of then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi during the war.

"Today is Vijay Diwas. First of all, I want to salute the brave soldiers who fought for us in the war of 1971. Whatever was happening in Bangladesh, no one was listening to the voice of the people of Bangladesh, our Bengali brothers and sisters. Indira Gandhi was the Prime Minister at that time; I want to salute her. She showed courage in the most difficult situations and showed such leadership that made the country victorious," Priyanka Gandhi stated.

She further raised the alleged removal of the 'iconic 1971 surrender painting' from the Army Headquarters in New Delhi.

"The second issue is that today, a picture has been taken down from the headquarters of the Army in which the Pakistani Army is surrendering in front of the Indian Army," she added.

Earlier in the day the Army clarified that Chief of Army Staff of the Indian Army, General Upendra Dwivedi, along with Sunita Dwivedi had installed the 'iconic 1971 surrender painting' at the Manekshaw Centre in New Delhi.

The iconic painting portrays the ceremonial surrender of Pakistani soldiers to the Indian Army on 16 December 1971 in Dhaka following the liberation of Bangladesh and was installed on the occasion of Vijay Diwas.

December 16, 1971, was the day when Pakistan signed the instrument of surrender in Dhaka, following a 13-day India-Pakistan War. This resulted in the surrender of over 93,000 soldiers, and the Pakistan Army's capitulation against Indian forces was complete. Following this decisive victory, India announced itself as a major regional force. (ANI)