Government tied Air Force's hands during Op Sindoor: Rahul Gandhi
What's the story
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has hit out at the government for its handling of Operation Sindoor, saying India was hesitant to attack Pakistan's military infrastructure to protect the image of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. "The government tied the Air Force's hands and sent them to war. So Air Force cannot be blamed...for what happened," he said. He said that the Modi government told the Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) not to escalate things and asked for a truce.
Claims
India showed immediate surrender in 30 minutes: Gandhi
He further claimed that that India conveyed to Pakistan that it had no political will to continue the fight, after which New Delhi "showed immediate surrender in 30 minutes." "India attacked Pakistan and told your pilots not to attack their air defense system. This is why we lost jets. The point is that aircraft were lost because of the constraint given by the political leadership to not attack the military and air defence system of Pakistan," he added.
Ceasefire controversy
'Political Will' and 'Freedom of Operation'
Because India did not want an escalation with Pakistan to protect the image of the PM, "PM Modi has the blood of Pahalgam on his hands," he said. While drawing a parallel between the 1971 war and Operation Sindoor, he said the difference is that "there was political will in 1971." "There are two words—'Political Will' and 'Freedom of Operation.' If you want to utilize Indian Armed Forces, you need to have 100% political will and full freedom of operation."
Historical reference
Gandhi recalls Indira Gandhi's 'freedom of action' during 1971 war
Gandhi recalled how former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi gave freedom of action to General Manekshaw during the 1971 war. He said, "Seventh Fleet was approaching India through the Indian Ocean. The then PM said we will have to do whatever we have to Bangladesh... Indira Gandhi told General Manekshaw to take six months, one year, whatever time you need because you should have freedom of action."
Trump
Gandhi dares PM to call Trump a 'liar'
Gandhi also challenged PM Modi to call US President Donald Trump a "liar" in the Lok Sabha for for claiming credit for brokering a ceasefire between India and Pakistan after the brief war. "It is a very dangerous time and we cannot afford a prime minister who doesn't know how to use the Army. We cannot afford a prime minister who doesn't have the guts to say from here that Donald Trump is a liar."
Operation clarification
Opposition demands clarity on decision-making process behind end of hostilities
Defense Minister Rajnath Singh earlir clarified that India's aim was to destroy terror infrastructure, not escalate conflict. He said India's DGMO informed Pakistan after the strike that India didn't want further escalation but Pakistan "did not understand our rationale." The opposition has demanded clarity on the decision-making process behind ending hostilities, questioning if strategic gains were compromised too soon.