New Delhi, May 31 – The Congress on Saturday lashed out at the BJP-led government following Chief of Defence Staff Gen Anil Chauhan’s admission that India lost an unspecified number of fighter jets during the May clashes with Pakistan, urging the Centre to “wake up to the reality” and address long-standing issues in defence preparedness.
Senior Congress leader and Telangana minister Uttam Kumar Reddy, a former fighter pilot, said the ruling party must stop branding legitimate questions as “unpatriotic”, especially when those questions concern the safety and strength of India’s armed forces.
“It is surprising they call us unpatriotic. The Gandhi family sacrificed two Prime Ministers for the nation,” Reddy said.
Reddy referred to Gen Chauhan’s interview with Bloomberg TV, where the CDS acknowledged jet losses for the first time, although he called Pakistan’s claim of shooting down six Indian warplanes “absolutely incorrect.”
“When Rahul Gandhi raised similar questions earlier, a smear campaign was launched. Now the CDS has confirmed jets were lost,” Reddy said.
Citing Air Chief Marshal A.P. Singh’s recent concerns over delays in defence projects, Reddy said the government must urgently ramp up recruitment and production in the armed forces.
“IAF needs 30 to 40 fighter jets annually, but HAL has failed to deliver. Recruitment post-Covid is still lagging,” he warned.
While praising the IAF for its decisive operations—striking nine terror bases in Pakistan during the recent four-day conflict—Reddy insisted that learning from losses is standard military procedure and essential for future preparedness.
“Congress is proud of our forces. We salute the IAF’s spectacular victory. But let’s also fix what needs fixing,” he added.
