New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday launched a scathing attack on Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, accusing him of echoing Pakistan’s stance with his remarks on Operation Sindoor and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The controversy erupted after Gandhi alleged that Modi had surrendered under US pressure following a call from Donald Trump during the ceasefire understanding between India and Pakistan.
BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawala criticised Gandhi, calling him a “leader of Pakistani propaganda” and accusing him of spreading narratives that even Pakistan had not dared to push. “Rahul Gandhi has once again understood that the meaning of LoP is the leader of Pakistani propaganda. The kind of propaganda that even Pakistan was not able to do, he is doing,” PTI quoted Poonawala as saying.
‘Trust your own leaders’
He urged Gandhi to pay heed to senior Congress leaders like Shashi Tharoor, Manish Tewari and Salman Khurshid, who have denied any third-party mediation in the pause of Operation Sindoor. “Rahul Gandhi, believe in what the DGMO said, what the ministry of external affairs said. If not them, at least believe in Shashi (Tharoor), Manish (Tewari) and Salman (Khurshid). They have said that no mediation happened, India did not call up (Pakistan), their DGMO reached out to India,” he said. Poonawala also claimed that Gandhi has a fondness for anything foreign, including propaganda. He asserted that Pakistan had “pleaded” with India to halt Operation Sindoor after being “beaten up.”
Joining the attack, BJP national spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari criticised Gandhi for using “indecent” language against PM Modi and questioned his patriotism. “Rahul Gandhi’s words reflect his values. He makes such indecent remarks against the country’s Prime Minister. But this is what can be expected from Rahul Gandhi, whose heart beats for Pakistan. Because when he offers floral tributes to the statue of his grandmother (Indira Gandhi), he does not even remove his shoes,” Bhandari said.
BJP MP Sambit Patra also condemned Gandhi’s speech in Madhya Pradesh, calling it an insult to the army and Operation Sindoor. “This kind of politician, who uses words like ‘surrender’ for his motherland, is not fit for the country,” he said in a video on X.
Gandhi, while addressing Congress workers in Bhopal, said, “Now, I understand RSS-BJP well. They run away out of fear if slight pressure is put on them. When Trump called Modiji- Modiji kya kar rahe ho, Narender-Surrender and with ‘ji hazooor’, Narenderji followed Trump. In the 1971 war, the Seventh Fleet came from the US. India Gandhi said I will do whatever I have to do. This is the difference. This is their character; all of them are like this. Since the Independence movement, they have had the habit of writing letters of surrender.”
‘Narender-Surrender’ jibe escalates
He reiterated the same in a social media post, stating, “Trump’s phone came, and PM Narendra Modi ji immediately surrendered. History is witness. This is the character of the BJP-RSS; they always budge. India had bifurcated Pakistan in 1971 despite the threat by the United States. The ‘babbar sher’ and ‘shernis’ of Congress fight the Superpowers, they do not bow.”
