Lucknow, May 4: Uttar Pradesh Congress President Ajay Rai on Sunday launched a scathing attack on the central government, accusing it of inaction following the recent terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam that killed 26 people. Rai mocked the government’s response, saying its Rafale fighter jets remain unused in hangars “with lemon and chillies hanging on them”—a reference to a common Indian superstition meant to ward off evil.
Holding up a toy plane labeled “Rafale” with chillies and lemons attached, Rai questioned the government’s counter-terrorism strategy.
“Terrorist activities have increased in the country, and people are suffering. Our youth lost their lives in the Pahalgam attack, but this government only talks,” Rai told reporters. “They say they’ll crush terrorism, they bought Rafales, but they’re just lying in hangars with nimbu-mirchi. When will they act against terrorists and their backers?” he asked, as quoted by ANI.
The remarks, made during a press interaction, come amid growing political friction over national security in the wake of the April 22 Pahalgam massacre, which marked one of the deadliest attacks on civilians in the region in recent years.
The Bharatiya Janata Party responded sharply, accusing Rai and the Congress party of disrespecting the armed forces and undermining national morale.
BJP leader CR Kesavan condemned the statement, calling it “reprehensible” and “an attempt to demoralize our brave armed forces.”
“The Congress and its leaders are being disloyal to India and our people. Ajay Rai’s comments—made from the same state where Rahul Gandhi is an MP—are disgraceful and dishonourable. The Congress has repeatedly attempted to damage the morale and resolve of our armed forces, but this sinister ploy will not succeed,” Kesavan told ANI.
Echoing the outrage, BJP’s Pradeep Bhandari wrote on X (formerly Twitter), “Rahul Gandhi’s close aide Ajay Rai mocks our forces! Congress today has become the Pakistani Congress—the spokesperson of Asif Munir’s Pakistan in India!”
Ajay Rai’s remarks have added fuel to the already charged political atmosphere, with the BJP portraying the Congress party’s stance as unpatriotic and dangerous at a time of heightened national security concerns.
