Rahul Gandhi, the leader of the opposition in the Lok Sabha, accused External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar of being “damning” for his silence over the number of planes India “lost” when Pakistan was “informed” about the military action under Operation Sindoor on Monday, May 19, 2025.
In retaliation, the BJP accused Mr. Gandhi of using the “language of Pakistan” and questioned whether the Congress party was genuinely committed to helping the country.
Regarding the matter, Mr. Gandhi had previously also attacked Mr. Jaishankar, implying that the Indian side had alerted Pakistan before military attacks on terrorist facilities in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).
However, Mr. Gandhi’s assertions that Mr. Jaishankar admitted that India had warned Pakistan before to the start of Operation Sindoor on May 7 were deemed “utter misrepresentation” by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). “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?” he said in a post on X. “This wasn’t a lapse. It was a crime. And the nation deserves the truth,” Mr. Gandhi also said.
The Congress leader earlier shared an undated video clip of Mr. Jaishankar and wrote, “Informing Pakistan at the start of our attack was a crime. EAM has publicly admitted that GOI (Government of India) did it.” “Who authorised it? How many aircraft did our air force lose as a result,” the Congress leader asked.
“The external affairs minister had stated that we had warned Pakistan at the start, which is clearly the early phase after Operation Sindoor’s commencement,” the external publicity (XP) division of the Ministry said. “This is being falsely represented as being before the commencement. This utter misrepresentation of facts is being called out,” it said in a brief statement.
Union Minister Pralhad Joshi attacked Mr. Gandhi saying he misquoted the MEA. “Rahul Gandhi seems to have learned nothing from his past mistakes. He continues to disrespect the Nation’s Armed Forces by questioning how many jets were lost despite clear statements from the IAF and MEA confirming there were no asset losses. “He misquotes the MEA, even though the DGMO clarified in his May 11 briefing that India had made efforts to communicate with its counterparts. Is the Congress party truly serious about supporting the nation? Their actions suggest otherwise,” Mr. Joshi said in a post on X.
BJP IT Department head Amit Malviya said in a post on X, “Rahul Gandhi’s daftness is not merely incidental. It is sinister. Rahul Gandhi must desist from distorting facts. India knows who he truly speaks for.” BJP national spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari alleged that the Congress leader’s comments mirrored Pakistan’s propaganda. “Rahul Gandhi’s ignorance isn’t just random – it’s dangerous,” he said, accusing Mr. Gandhi of toeing a “pro-Pakistan line”. “The deliberate twisting of facts by Rahul Gandhi is not a slip. It’s a calculated move to feed a hostile narrative. When India stands united against terror, he chooses to sow confusion and Pakistan celebrates it,” he added. “Rahul isn’t clueless. He’s complicit. India deserves better than a China-Pak spokesperson as Leader of Opposition,” Mr. Bhandari said in another post on X.
Chairman of AICC Media and Publicity Department Pawan Khera said Rahul Gandhi has asked some questions on the statement of the external affairs minister. This becomes very important because, in the last week, U.S. President Donald Trump has been repeating in different countries that he mediated to stop the war, he said.
Mr. Khera said the statement of the External Affairs minister is sensitive because it seems that the terrorists must have fled from their hideouts. “Prime Minister Modi and the Foreign Minister will have to answer why this was done,” he asked. “The government should answer how many aircraft did the country lose? What losses did the country suffer? How many terrorists escaped?” he further asked.
Mr. Khera alleged that the BJP is doing petty politics on issues of national interest and thinks the opposition will remain silent and will not ask questions related to the security of the country. “We will keep asking questions and if we do not ask, terrorist incidents will continue to take place in the country,” he noted. “We do not know what secrets America and China have about PM Modi, Foreign Minister and BJP leaders, because they never speak in front of America and China. Whenever the PM speaks, it is to give a clean chit,” Mr. Khera said. “The entire country and the world knows what China’s role was in this war and America itself is boasting about its role in stopping this war, but Jaishankar ji does not speak,” the Congress leader said.
Mr. Khera said Mr. Jaishankar himself told the media that they had informed Pakistan before launching the attack. “What does this information signify now? Is the Foreign Minister so confident in Pakistan that he can force the terrorists to sit in silence? Why did the foreign minister alert Pakistan prior to the attack, and what is his connection with Pakistan? Actually, this is espionage rather than diplomacy. The foreign minister’s words were heard by all, but they are being concealed. Was Hafiz Saeed’s flight and Masood Azhar’s survival due to this information? “Isn’t the nation entitled to know?” he said.
