Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Monday launched a fresh attack on External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, saying his silence on the number of aircraft India "lost" after Pakistan was "informed" about the military action under Operation Sindoor is "damning".
The BJP hit back, accusing Gandhi of speaking the "language of Pakistan" and asking whether the Congress party was truly serious about supporting the nation.
Gandhi had earlier also targeted Jaishankar on the issue, suggesting that the Indian side informed Pakistan ahead of the military strikes on terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).
Informing Pakistan at the start of our attack was a crime.
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) May 17, 2025
EAM has publicly admitted that GOI did it.
1. Who authorised it?
2. How many aircraft did our airforce lose as a result? pic.twitter.com/KmawLLf4yW
However, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) had described Gandhi's claims that Jaishankar acknowledged India having alerted Pakistan before the launch of Operation Sindoor on May 7 as "utter misrepresentation".
The senior Congress leader posted on X: "EAM Jaishankar’s silence isn’t just telling — it’s damning. So I’ll ask again: How many Indian aircraft did we lose because Pakistan knew? This wasn’t a lapse. It was a crime. And the nation deserves the truth."
The statement was made in reference to Jaishankar's earlier statement where he had said that India had informed Pakistan's military earlier to stay away from New Delhi's attack on terror launch pads.
Following the tweet, Congress leader Pavan Khera called the BJP "Sindoor ka saudagar" while addressing a press conference.
Earlier, Rahul Gandhi had shared a video of S. Jaishankar's comments and wrote, "Informing Pakistan at the start of our attack was a crime. EAM has publicly admitted that GOI did it."
ALSO READ:
- What are Ashni Platoons as Indian Army steps up suicide drone procurement after Operation Sindoor?
- Balochistan on the boil again? Pakistan Police confirm two trains targeted with bombs
- Who is Bishra Bibi? Former first spouse of Pakistan, Imran Khan’s wife, gets sentenced to 17 years in prison for corruption case
- What is Pakistan's Toshakhana 2 corruption case as Imran Khan and wife Bushra Bibi get 17 years in jail?
Hours later, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) clarified that Rahul Gandhi's statements were an utter misrepresentation of facts. A fact-check by the Ministry of External Affairs found that Minister for External Affairs S. Jaishankar clearly stated that Pakistan had received only initial information about "Operation Sindoor" and not after the commencement.
The Ministry of External Affairs, replying to Rahul Gandhi, stated, "EAM Jaishankar had stated that we had warned Pakistan at the start, which is clearly the early phase after Op Sindoor’s commencement. This is being falsely represented as being before the commencement. This utter misrepresentation of facts is being called out.”
