PM Modi used armed forces to protect his image after Pahalgam, claimed Rahul Gandhi; “If Narendra Modi has even 50 per cent of the courage of Indira Gandhi, he should declare in the House that Trump is lying about the ceasefire,” he said speaking in the Lok Sabha
Leader of the opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi launched a blistering attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the debate on Operation Sindoor, describing the military exercise in response to the Pahalgam terror attack as an attempt “to protect the PM’s image.” He also dared PM Modi to call US President Donald Trump “a liar” in Parliament for his repeated claims that he used trade as leverage to effect a ceasefire and that fighter jets were shot down during the India-Pakistan conflict. “If Narendra Modi has even 50 per cent of the courage of Indira Gandhi, he should declare in the House that Trump is lying about the ceasefire,” Gandhi said speaking in the Lok Sabha.
PM Modi disputed Trump’s claims of mediation to pause hostilities between India and Pakistan, asserting that no world leader told India to pause Operation Sindoor. The Indian armed forces taught such a lesson to those behind the Pahalgam attack that the “masters of terrorism” are still losing their sleep over it, he also said responding to the two-day debate on Pahalgam and Operation Sindoor in the Lok Sabha. The attack was aimed at instigating riots in India and the country’s unity foiled that attempt, the PM also added
Narrating the sequence of events leading to the May 10 when ceasefire was announced, PM Modi said on the night of May 9 he received a call from US Vice President JD Vance which he could not take because he was busy in a meeting with the armed forces. “I returned the call of VP Vance and he told me Pakistan is planning a major attack on India. My answer was if Pakistan is thinking this it will pay a heavy price,” he said adding that true to their word Indian armed forces destroyed Pakistan’s defences.
“Our armed forces avenged April 22 within 22 minutes with precision attacks,” he said
“India had clarified from day one that its goal was to destroy terrorists, terror hubs and its actions were non-escalatory and that Operation Sindoor is under way. India has proved that nuclear blackmailing will not work anymore. Pakistan’s airbases and assets have suffered heavy damage. Many of their airbases are still in ICU,” he said”
According to PM Modi, key terrorist infrastructure in areas like Bahawalpur and Muridke, long considered out of reach, were “razed to the ground” by Indian forces using Made-in-India weaponry. “This is the era of technology-based war. If we had not prepared in the last 10 years, the damage could have been unimaginable,” he noted.
“After the success of the operation, the Indian Army informed the Pakistan Army that we have achieved our goal, this was done to assess Pakistan’s mind…we had achieved our goals. When Pakistan decided to back terrorists, our armed forces responded with force delivering a message they would remember for years. Our missiles hit all corners of Pakistan, this brought Pakistan to its knees. This was when Pakistan phoned our DGMO and appealed — bas karo, bahut maara, ab zyada maar jhelney ki taqat nahi hai. Please stop the attack,” said PM Modi, adding that this was when India paused hostilities.
The PM said India had brought the perpetrators of Pahalgam attack to justice and questioned the opposition for raising doubts about the timing of Operation Mahadev which killed the three Pakistani terrorists on Monday.
Questioning the intent behind the government’s post-Pahalgam response, Gandhi alleged that political considerations were placed above military objectives. “Yesterday, Rajnath Singh ji said Operation Sindoor began at 1.05 am and lasted 22 minutes. The most shocking revelation was that at 1.35 am, India called Pakistan to inform them that we had hit only non-military targets and did not wish for any escalation,” Gandhi said, quoting the Defence Minister.
Gandhi who talked of “fusion” between Pakistan and China which the government failed to realise, also questioned why PM Modi couldn’t ask Trump how he could invite Pakistan General Asim Munir on a lunch.
He also cited remarks by India’s defence attaché in Indonesia who reportedly said that aircraft losses happened due to restrictions placed by political leadership, accusing the government of sending Indian pilots into hostile territory after asking them not to attack their military installations.
He also referred to CDS General Anil Chauhan’s comment that tactical errors had been corrected in follow-up strikes. “I want to tell CDS Anil Chauhan ji that you made no tactical mistake. The Indian Air Force did not make any mistake. The only mistake was that the political leadership sent them into battle with one hand tied behind their backs,” Gandhi said
