Rahul Gandhi, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, on Tuesday launched a blistering attack on the Union government, accusing it of launching Operation Sindoor and using the armed forces to “protect” Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s image in the aftermath of the heinous Pahalgam terror attack. He dared Narendra Modi to call US President Donald Trump a “liar” over his claim of mediating a ceasefire between India and Pakistan. The Rae Bareli MP asserted that the current elected government lacks the “political will” and fails to provide the “freedom of operation” necessary for the forces to carry out missions like Operation Sindoor successfully.
Speaking in Parliament, the senior Congress leader alleged that Operation Sindoor, undertaken in the days after the attack, was not a strategic security mission but a politically motivated move. “The goal of this exercise was to protect the Prime Minister’s image because he has the blood of the people of Pahalgam on his hands,” Gandhi asserted. “The goal was to make sure that he used the air force to protect his image," he added.
Rahul Gandhi also dared the Prime Minister to directly counter former US President Donald Trump’s claim of having mediated a ceasefire between India and Pakistan. “Donald Trump has said 29 times that he mediated a ceasefire. If Trump is lying, then the Prime Minister must say so in his speech in the House today. If PM Modi has the guts, let him tell the whole House that Donald Trump is lying," said the Rae Bareli MP. “If he has the courage of Indira Gandhi, let him say here that Donald Trump, you are a liar. That you did not make us call a ceasefire, and that we did not lose any planes. If he has 50% of Indira Gandhi’s courage, he must say this in the House," Gandhi added.
In his speech, the Rae Bareli MP warned of the broader dangers of politicising the armed forces, stating, “It is dangerous in this time for the Prime Minister to use the forces to protect his own image. It is dangerous for the country. The forces should only be used in national interest; the forces should be used with freedom. If you want them to be used, you want to unleash a tiger, free them.”
Taking a swipe the government’s approach to cross-border tensions, Gandhi said, “Do not tie his hands behind his back, do not go to the Pakistanis and say do not escalate, and then go all the way. Then fight properly and defeat them once and for all. Don’t have President Trump tell you that I have stopped the war 29 times. Have the courage to say that no, to hell with you—we are going to fight.”
“We cannot afford a Prime Minister who does not have the courage to use the army the way it should be used. We need a Prime Minister who frees the army, frees the air force, frees the navy, and says go and finish them (Pakistan) once and for all, just the way Indira Gandhi did," said Rahul Gandhi.
He also urged the Prime Minister to "respect" the integrity of the armed forces beyond political interests. “The nation is above your image, above your politics and above your PR. The forces are above your PR, your image, your politics—have the humility to understand that, have the dignity to understand that. And do not sacrifice the armed forces and the national interest for your own petty political game.”
