Why Congress Is Comparing Jaishankar’s Op Sindoor Remark to Morarji Desai’s Alleged ‘Treason’

New Delhi, 23 May 2025: As diplomatic tensions simmer following India’s Operation Sindoor, a new political controversy has erupted back home. The Congress party, in a dramatic move, has accused External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar of “treason” over remarks he made regarding the operation’s strategic objectives. But in doing so, the party has revived decades-old allegations once made against former Prime Minister Morarji Desai — a man accused of compromising Indian intelligence in what some called one of the gravest security lapses of the 20th century.

So why has Morarji Desai’s name resurfaced? What’s the actual story behind those old claims? And what are the implications of dragging past political controversies into current foreign policy debates?

Let’s unpack the history and the politics at play.

The Old Spy Story: What Did Morarji Desai Do?

Morarji Desai, India’s first non-Congress prime minister, served from 1977 to 1979 as the leader of the Janata Party government. During his tenure, India was already tracking Pakistan’s secret nuclear ambitions through the Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW), particularly through its Science and Technology Division.

According to a 2007 memoir by B. Raman — a former top R&AW official — Desai allegedly told Pakistan’s military dictator General Zia-ul-Haq that India was aware of Pakistan’s nuclear activities. Raman’s book, The Kaoboys of R&AW: Down Memory Lane, claims Desai made this disclosure during a private conversation with Zia, possibly in a bid to appear friendly and cooperative.

Raman wrote that indiscreet political leaders are the “occupational hazard” of intelligence work. While his book did not directly allege that R&AW operatives were captured or killed as a result, various commentators and political rivals later extrapolated that Desai’s remarks may have led to the compromise of Indian intelligence networks in Pakistan.

‘Espionage’ Allegations Resurface in 2025

Fast forward to 2025: India has just concluded Operation Sindoor, a major counter-terror mission targeting Pakistani terror camps. While outlining the operation’s objectives, S. Jaishankar noted that India had conveyed to Pakistan that its actions were directed against terror infrastructure and not military assets.

That statement, according to the Congress party, amounts to an intelligence breach.

Congress Kerala’s official X (formerly Twitter) handle said Jaishankar’s remark was “eerily similar” to Desai’s, dubbing both as acts of espionage. The party further alleged that Desai’s disclosure had led to “several RAW agents being captured, executed, or vanished,” though no such consequences were mentioned in Raman’s book or documented officially.

Congress’s Pawan Khera escalated the attack by drawing a direct comparison between the two leaders. “What Morarji Desai did was a sin. What Jaishankar did is also a sin. And the Prime Minister’s silence is a sin as well,” Khera stated.

BJP Fires Back: “Baseless Political Motives”

Predictably, the BJP and Desai’s descendants have rejected the charges as political vendetta. Advocate Madhukeshwar Desai, great-grandson of Morarji Desai and national vice president of Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha, said the revival of these allegations was “petty and politically motivated.”

He told TheTrendingPeople.com, “Morarji Desai was the first prime minister who dared to challenge Congress dominance. Any non-Congress PM — be it Lal Bahadur Shastri, P.V. Narasimha Rao, Manmohan Singh, or Desai — has had their legacy undermined by the Congress because they weren’t part of the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty.”

He added that there was no formal inquiry, no classified evidence, and no judicial assessment that ever proved Desai leaked national security information. “These are just speculative stories, not substantiated facts,” he said.

‘Nishan-e-Pakistan’ and a PR Nightmare

Fueling conspiracy theories about Desai was his acceptance of Pakistan’s highest civilian award — the Nishan-e-Pakistan — in 1991. The award had originally been announced in 1988 but was delayed due to the sudden death of General Zia in a plane crash.

Desai’s acceptance of the award triggered sharp criticism in India, especially from the Congress party. Article 18(2) of the Indian Constitution prohibits citizens from accepting titles from foreign states, and Congress leaders called the gesture unconstitutional and unpatriotic.

A report in The Indian Express from August 1988 quoted AICC general secretary K.N. Singh calling the award a “confirmation of suspicions” that Desai was part of an anti-Congress alliance influenced by foreign interests.

Despite this, Desai defended the award as a symbol of goodwill between India and Pakistan. His supporters, including K.R. Malkani of the BJP, praised it as a diplomatic win.

The CIA Angle: Another Storm From the Past

This isn’t the only accusation Desai faced during or after his political career. In his 1983 book The Price of Power: Kissinger in the Nixon White House, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Seymour Hersh alleged that Desai was a paid CIA informant.

According to Hersh, the CIA paid Desai $20,000 annually for sensitive information during the 1960s and 1970s. Desai denied the charges outright, called them “sheer madness,” and filed a massive libel lawsuit in the United States.

The case dragged on for years. Former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger even testified, stating he had no knowledge of Desai being a CIA asset. However, in 1989, a Chicago jury ruled in Hersh’s favor, citing insufficient evidence from Desai to prove “actual malice” or reckless disregard for truth.

Though Desai failed to win the case, his defenders argue that mere courtroom defeat doesn’t prove guilt. In India, courts did not ban the book but asked distributors to issue disclaimers, and the controversy slowly faded — until now.

What This Means for Jaishankar — and India

While the Congress’s decision to invoke Desai’s case may serve as a symbolic warning against diplomatic indiscretion, critics argue that drawing parallels between the two situations is exaggerated and politically expedient.

Jaishankar’s remarks were made in an official context during a high-profile operation. The Ministry of External Affairs has labeled the Congress claims as “misrepresentation of facts,” and sources say the statement was part of India’s deterrent communication strategy to prevent escalation.

In contrast, Desai’s alleged remark was a private, informal disclosure during a phone call — if it happened at all. Unlike Jaishankar, Desai’s actions were never officially confirmed or penalized.

Political Legacy and Selective Outrage?

The larger question remains: why is the Congress party invoking a decades-old controversy at this moment?

Observers believe it’s an attempt to weaken the BJP’s foreign policy credibility amid rising nationalist sentiment after Operation Sindoor. It’s also a reminder of how fragile legacies can be in India’s volatile political landscape.

Madhukeshwar Desai puts it bluntly: “Morarji Bhai’s legacy is that of a Gandhian statesman. He governed with dignity, promoted peace, and upheld democracy. Twisting that into betrayal reflects more on those making the claim than on him.”

Indeed, Morarji Desai’s tenure saw no war, no major scandal, and no lasting foreign policy debacle. His emphasis on de-escalation with Pakistan, while unpopular among hawks, was aligned with his lifelong commitment to non-violence.

Final Words: History Repeats, But with a Twist

In reviving the Morarji Desai controversy, Congress has opened a new front in India’s bitter political war. Whether the comparison to Jaishankar holds water or not, it reflects a deeper struggle over how India’s history is written — and who gets to write it.

In the fog of espionage allegations, foreign policy calculations, and political posturing, one thing is clear: the past, no matter how distant, continues to shape India’s present battles.