When Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to disclose the number of Rafale fighter planes that “were shot down by Pakistan” during the most recent border crisis, he sparked a political uproar this week.
Speaking Thursday at the Jai Hind Sabha, a gathering convened to honour the Indian military for its heroic efforts during the April 22 Pahalgam attack. Revanth said, “The soldiers of this (Secunderabad ) Cantonment were part of the war. The war planes manufactured in Telangana safeguarded the respect for our country. Rafale aircraft brought by Narendra Modi were shot down by Pakistan. There is no discussion on how many Rafales were shot down. Narendra Modi should answer how many Rafale aircrafts were shot down by Pakistan during the recent war. You give us the account for this”.
On the same day when India launched retaliatory strikes in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and Pakistan during “Operation Sindoor,” both Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh praised the military’s contributions.
Following three days of rising border tensions, India and Pakistan reached a ceasefire agreement on May 10. Reddy continued in his address by saying that the prime minister was unable to provide justice to the Pahalgam victims even though all parties, including the Congress, had pledged their support for him in the war against terrorism supported by Pakistan.
“Why was the war called off hurriedly within four days after the first military strike on Pakistan? Why wasn’t an all-party meeting called to seek the opinions of different parties before declaring a ceasefire?” Reddy asked. He added: “Only a leader with courage and determination can prepare war strategy. Former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi had given a stern warning to the US when it tried to mediate between India and Pakistan in the 1971 war. It was Indira Gandhi who taught a befitting lesson to Pakistan by dividing the enemy country into two halves during that war,” the chief minister said. Reddy took strong exception to the war being called off “at the behest of US President Donald Trump”. He added: “War is not your business. It is an important issue of national security”.
In a scathing response to the address on Friday, BJP national leader Sambit Patra mentioned the 1975 Bollywood movie “Sholay” at a news conference. He said: “Rahul Gandhi, Jairam Ramesh, Revanth Reddy are asking how many Rafales were shot down. These people who are ‘Babbars’ of Pakistan are the ‘Gabbars of India”. Continuing with the analogy he added: “Because of India’s Jai and India’s bravery, Gabbar’s defeat is certain. Rahul Gandhi did not ask how many Pakistani air bases were destroyed, how many terrorists were killed. He asked only how many Indian planes were shot down”.
In the meantime, the Telangana BJP also took offence at Reddy’s remarks on Friday night, claiming that in Telugu, he called Pakistan “Mana Pakistan” (Our Pakistan). The party leadership said that Revanth Reddy’s genuine sympathies for Pakistan were represented in this speech.
The Congress has continuously opposed surgical strikes and the military’s Agnipath short-term recruitment program, according to a post by the BJP on X. Reddy was singled out by the party with the following: “Revanth, stick to Miss World picture shoots. You don’t belong in national security. Hyderabad, Telangana, is hosting this year’s Miss World pageant.
