NEW DELHI, July 29 — In a searing attack during the Lok Sabha debate on Operation Sindoor, Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of prioritising his personal image over national strategic interests, alleging the armed forces were used for political optics rather than military objectives.
Referring to Defence Minister Rajnath Singh’s disclosure that Operation Sindoor began at 1.05 am and lasted 22 minutes, Gandhi focused on the government’s communication with Pakistan just 30 minutes later, at 1.35 am, to clarify that only non-military targets were hit.
“The DGMO was told to ask for a ceasefire at 1.35 am. In effect, India told Pakistan: we don’t want to fight. That is immediate surrender — in 30 minutes,” Gandhi told the House.
He argued that by immediately conveying this political stance, the Indian government compromised its strategic leverage and imposed unacceptable constraints on the Indian Air Force.
Citing remarks from India’s defence attaché in Indonesia, Gandhi claimed that aircraft losses during the operation were the result of political interference, not military error. He also invoked Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) Anil Chauhan’s comment that tactical errors had since been addressed.
“General Chauhan, you made no mistake. The IAF made no mistake. The mistake was political. They sent our pilots into hostile territory with one hand tied behind their backs,” Gandhi said.
The Congress leader alleged that the motive behind the retaliatory strikes after the Pahalgam attack was not national security but to protect PM Modi from political backlash.
“The blood of the Pahalgam victims is on the Prime Minister’s hands. Operation Sindoor was conducted not to avenge them, but to shield Modi’s image,” he thundered.
Gandhi also raised that US President Donald Trump’s repeated claims of brokering the India-Pakistan ceasefire, demanding that PM Modi clarify his position.
“Trump has said 29 times he made the ceasefire happen. If he’s lying, why hasn’t Modi said so? If you have the courage like Indira Gandhi, then stand here and say Donald Trump is a liar.”
He sharply criticised the government’s foreign policy posture, especially External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, accusing him of false bravado and failing to deter Pakistan. He also questioned the lack of response from India over Trump’s controversial hosting of Pakistan Army Chief General Asif Munir, who Gandhi alleged was responsible for the Pahalgam attack.
“Trump broke all protocols to lunch with the man who orchestrated terrorism in India. Why hasn’t Modi said anything? How dare Trump invite Munir — and Modi stays silent?” Gandhi said, slamming his fist on the table, prompting Speaker Om Birla to intervene.
In a cautionary note, Gandhi concluded: “You want to unleash a tiger, don’t put a leash on it. If you really want to fight, fight to win. Don’t use the armed forces to hide your failure.”
The heated speech marked one of Gandhi’s sharpest critiques yet on national security and foreign policy under the Modi government, igniting tensions across the aisle as ruling party MPs vocally objected.
