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Rahul Gandhi accused External Affairs Minister Dr S. Jaishankar of informing Pakistan before Operation Sindoor, calling it a crime. The government denied this, labelling it a misrepresentation, and criticised Mr Gandhi.
New Delhi:
Doubling down on his attack on External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar, senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi today reiterated his earlier claim that the Centre informed Pakistan “at the start” of Operation Sindoor and said this wasn’t a “lapse”, but a “crime”. This drew a sharp response from the government, which called it “an utter misrepresentation of facts”. The BJP has said the Leader of Opposition’s misrepresentation of the minister’s remarks “reeks of malafide intent” and questioned the timing of this charge.
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. https://t.co/izn4LmBGJZ
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) May 19, 2025
On Saturday, Mr Gandhi shared a video of Dr Jaishankar interacting with the media. “At the start of the operation, we have sent a message to Pakistan, saying we are striking at infrastructure and we are not striking at the military, so the military has an option of standing out and not interfering in this process. They chose not to take good advice.” Sharing the video, Mr Gandhi said in a post, “Informing Pakistan at the start of our attack was a crime. EAM has publicly admitted that GOI did it. Who authorised it? How many aircraft did our airforce lose as a result?” he asked.
Reposting the video today, Mr Gandhi said the External Affairs Minister’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,” he said.
Senior Congress leader Pawan Khera repeated Mr Gandhi’s allegations during a press briefing and questioned the “relationship” the External Affairs Minister and Pakistan, due to which he informed them “beforehand”. “This is not diplomacy, this is espionage. Everyone heard what the External Affairs Minister said. A cover-up is being done.” Mr Khera also asked if this information helped terrorists Masood Azhar and Hafiz Saeed escape India’s airstrikes on terror bases. “This statement suggests that the terrorists must have fled their bases. Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi and External Affairs Minister must answer why this was done,” he said.
The External Affairs Ministry has said the minister’s remarks were being falsely represented. “EAM 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,” the ministry has said.
The government has also pointed to a statement by Lieutenant General Rajiv Ghai, Director General of Military Operations, during the briefing on Operation Sindoor. “…even though we did attempt to reach out and communicate our compulsions to strike at the heart of terror to my counterpart in the immediate wake of Operation Sindoor, the request was brusquely turned down with an intimation that a severe response was inevitable and in the offing. We were, of course, prepared,” Lt General Ghai said.
On a question regarding India’s losses during the conflict, Director General Air Operations Air Marshal AK Bharti had said, “We are in a combat scenario. Losses are a part of combat. The question to be asked is, have we achieved our objectives of decimating the terrorist camps? The answer is a thumping yes. All I can say is that we have achieved our objectives that we selected and all our pilots are back home.”
The fact-check wing of the Press Information Bureau has said that the minister was being misquoted. Calling out a social media post, PIB FaceCheck said, “The social media post falsely implies from External Affairs Minister @DrSJaishankar’s statement that India informed Pakistan before the start of #OperationSindoor. EAM is being misquoted and he has not made this statement. Remain vigilant and avoid falling for deceptive information.”
The BJP launched a scathing counter-attack on Mr Gandhi in response to his remarks. Tuhin Sinha, the party’s spokesperson, told The Hindkesharithat Mr Gandhi is repeatedly misrepresenting the minister’s remarks. “Rahul Gandhi seems to be operating at the behest of certain powers. Why is he pinning down the External Affairs Minister at a time when he is abroad? Why is he doing this at a time when our diplomatic missions are going abroad? This reeks of notoriety.”
Mr Sinha said the DGMO’s remarks at the briefing leave no doubt in anyone’s mind. “Only somebody with a juvenile, vile intent can repeatedly question the External Affairs Minister when the doubts have been allayed time and again. That makes me question his and the Congress party’s intent,” he said. “The facade of standing with the government that Rahul Gandhi put up for three weeks (after the Pahalgam attack) has gone for a toss. He is back to his vile ways.”
Rahul Gandhi’s bizarre lies making it to Pakistani media
Both speak the same language..
Is it a mere co incidence ?? pic.twitter.com/wc9WKG2IQN
— Shehzad Jai Hind (Modi Ka Parivar) (@Shehzad_Ind) May 19, 2025
BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla shared video of a news bulletin from Pakistan’s Geo News and said, “Rahul Gandhi’s bizarre lies making it to Pakistani media. Both speak the same language.. Is it a mere coincidence?”