‘Congress In Favour Of Pakistan’: BJP Retorts To 'Sindoor Ka Saudagar' Jibe At S Jaishankar

Last Updated:May 19, 2025, 16:23 IST

In a press conference on Monday, Pawan Khera accused the government of pre-informing Pakistan about Operation Sindoor, the Indian strikes on terror targets in Pakistan.

Lok Sabha LoP Rahul Gandhi and EAM Dr S Jaishankar. (File)

BJP vs Congress over Operation Sindoor: The Bharatiya Janata Party on Monday hit out at Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi and Congress leader Pawan Khera after the they posed questions at External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar claiming that he had informed Pakistan at the start of Operation Sindoor.

What Pawan Khera Said?

In a press conference on Monday, the senior Congress leader accused the government of pre-informing Pakistan about Operation Sindoor, the Indian strikes on terror targets in Pakistan and PoK in aftermath of last month’s Pahalgam terror attack.

Reiterating Lok Sabha LoP Rahul Gandhi’s claim, Khera asked, “If he (EAM Jaishankar) had not forewarned Pakistan, could terrorists like Azhar Masood and Hafiz Sayeed have escaped?"

He further labeled the BJP as “sindoor ka saudagar" while playing a video of Jaishankar’s statement.

“After the statement of EAM Dr S Jaishankar, we are being ridiculed in Pakistan and the whole world. That is why Rahul Gandhi is repeatedly saying that you should answer what damage the country suffered from this forewarning you gave to Pakistan? It is very important for us to know how many planes of the country fell, what damage the country suffered and how many terrorists escaped?" he added.

Khera also mentioned the claims made by US President Donald Trump to be the mediator between India and Pakistan for the ceasefire agreement and prevention of war. He allegedly threatened to stop trade with India if the conflict continued. Khera described Trump’s remarks as “very dangerous."

What Rahul Gandhi Claimed?

The Lok Sabha LoP on Saturday shared an undated video of EAM Jaishankar in which he was heard saying that at the start of Operation Sindoor, a message was sent to Pakistan that only terror bases were being struck.

“At the start of the operation, we had sent a message to Pakistan, saying we are striking at terrorist infrastructure and we are not striking at the military. So the military has the option of standing out and not interfering in this process. They chose not to take that good advice," Jaishankar can be heard saying in the video.

While sharing the video, Gandhi wrote, “Informing Pakistan at the start of our attack was a crime. EAM has publicly admitted that GOI (government of India) did it. Who authorised it? How many aircraft did our air force lose as a result."

On Monday, Gandhi launched a fresh attack on EAM saying his silence on the number of aircraft India “lost" after Pakistan was “informed" about the military action under Operation Sindoor is “damning".

BJP Reacts

BJP leader Aparna Bisht Yadav traded barbs at the senior Congress leader and questioned whether the grand-old party favours New Delhi or Islamabad.

“I am doubting if Congress is even a party of this country or not. With such statements coming continuously, I am unable to understand whether the Congress party is in favour of India or Pakistan… The country should always be united during such times…This is very unfortunate," she said as quoted be news agency ANI.

Union minister Pralhad Joshi attacked Gandhi saying he misquoted the MEA.

“Rahul Gandhi seems to have learned nothing from his past mistakes. He continues to disrespect the Nation’s Armed Forces by questioning how many jets were lost — despite clear statements from the IAF and MEA confirming there were no asset losses.

“He misquotes the MEA, even though the DGMO clarified in his May 11 briefing that India had made efforts to communicate with its counterparts. Is the Congress party truly serious about supporting the nation? Their actions suggest otherwise," Joshi said in a post on X.

BJP IT Department head Amit Malviya said in a post on X, “Rahul Gandhi’s daftness is not merely incidental. It is sinister. Rahul Gandhi must desist from distorting facts. India knows who he truly speaks for," he added.

BJP national spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari alleged that the Congress leader’s comments mirrored Pakistan’s propaganda.

“Rahul Gandhi’s ignorance isn’t just random – it’s dangerous," he said, accusing Gandhi of toeing a “pro-Pakistan line".

“The deliberate twisting of facts by Rahul Gandhi is not a slip. It’s a calculated move to feed a hostile narrative. When India stands united against terror, he chooses to sow confusion and Pakistan celebrates it," he added.

“Rahul isn’t clueless. He’s complicit. India deserves better than a China-Pak spokesperson as Leader of Opposition," Bhandari said in another post on X.

Centre’s Stand

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has also said that a statement on the timing of Pakistan being informed was being falsely represented.

“We had warned Pakistan at the start, which is clearly the early phase after Operation Sindoor’s commencement. This is being falsely represented as being before the commencement. This utter misrepresentation of facts is being called out," the MEA had said.

Operation Sindoor

India launched “precision strikes" under Operation Sindoor on nine terror targets in Pakistan and PoK following the Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 civilians. The strikes killed at least 10 family members of JeM chief Masood Azhar and four close aides.

The sites targeted were the Pakistani bases at Rafiqui (Shorkot, Jhang), Murid (Chakwal), Nur Khan (Chaklala, Rawalpindi) Rahim Yar Khan, Sukkur and Chunian (Kasur). In the strikes, the air bases in Skardu, Bholari, Jacobabad and Sargodha suffered extensive damage.

(With inputs from agencies)

News politics ‘Congress In Favour Of Pakistan’: BJP Retorts To 'Sindoor Ka Saudagar' Jibe At EAM