New Delhi [India], May 29 (ANI): Congress leader Pawan Khera, took a jibe at the BJP, thanking them for their recent actions, saying they've unexpectedly made the Congress party more noticeable, and refuted BJP leader Nishikant's claims on Former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and US President Regan.

Speaking to ANI, Khera said, 'We are very grateful to the BJP because we would not have been able to give the kind of publicity to Congress as the BJP is giving.'

Khera referenced a letter from former US President Ronald Reagan to former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.

He wrote on X, 'If you go through the letter written by US President Regan to Rajiv Gandhi, you will realise that President Reagan is requesting our help in Afghanistan. That was the kind of role India played then. The language used by President Regan was 'I offer to assist'. But today, President Trump threatens Mr Modi...'

Earlier, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Nishikant Dubey launched a fresh attack on Congress, claiming that New Delhi, during former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi's tenure, made a nuclear deal with Islamabad in 1988 under America's pressure.

In a post on X, Dubey shared a purportedly declassified letter, which, according to him, was sent by then-US President Ronald Reagan to former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. Dubey also claimed that New Delhi spoke to Former Pakistan President General Zia under US 'pressure'.

He further stated that the agenda of the meeting was also set by the US President Reagan.

'Why is Congress angry? When I saw this paper, I felt ashamed. US President Ronald Reagan sent this letter/telegram to the then-Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. Under American pressure, we spoke to Pakistani President General Zia. The agenda for the talks was set by the US President. What we understood after this letter was that Pakistan and we did the nuclear deal in 1988 under American pressure,' the Godda MP said on X.

'Whatever we talked to our friend Soviet Russia about on the Afghanistan problem was an American agenda. Is this the Shimla Agreement? Is the Iron Lady the mentality of slavery? Were we a sovereign nation at that time? Is Congress abusing Modi Ji to make India stronger?' the BJP leader questioned.

Notably, the Agreement on the prohibition of Attack against Nuclear Installation and Facilities between India and Pakistan was signed on 31 December 1988 and entered into force on 27 January 1991 and provides, inter alia, that India and Pakistan inform each other of the nuclear installations and facilities to be covered under the Agreement on the first of January of every calendar year.

The agreement also prohibits the two nations from attacking each other's nuclear installations and facilities.

This revelation adds a new layer to the ongoing political debate over third-party involvement in India-Pakistan relations, especially in the wake of recent escalations triggered by the Pahalgam terror attack and India's retaliatory Operation Sindoor. (ANI)