JAMMU: What is wrong with Rahul Gandhi and his Congress? At a time Indian armed forces acted with precision and bravery in the ongoing Operation Sindoor, and the nation stood united in saluting the mission’s success, Rahul Gandhi and his Congress chose to question the operation-not by asking how Pakistan was punished, but by asking how many Indian fighter jets were supposedly downed.
This is not just a matter of political opposition-it borders on a dangerous narrative that suits Pakistan’s propaganda more than India’s military ethos.
Why is there no Congress inquiry into Pakistan’s massive losses? This should be the curiosity of every Indian to know how Terroristan bled at the hands of our brave fighters. Instead, the Gandhi scion is asking the brave pilots and soldiers to “show proof”? Once again, the Rahul Gandhi led Opposition is revealing its habitual mischief and mistrust of our armed forces and its apparent willingness to echo the talking points of our enemies.
This isn’t a one-off. The country saw the same pattern after the Balakot air strikes and the surgical strikes post-Uri. As the indebted nation applauded the decisive military response, Rahul Gandhi demanded “video proof,” openly questioning the Army’s word. It was not only disrespectful-it was demoralizing.
During the deadly Galwan skirmish with China, while Indian soldiers made the ultimate sacrifice defending borders, Rahul Gandhi’s focus was not on saluting their bravery but on attacking Prime Minister Narendra Modi and echoing Chinese narratives. The nation still remembers how the Congress questioned military planning and intelligence during Kargil incursion rather than unequivocally backing the forces during war.
Question arises, why does Rahul Gandhi repeatedly take positions that seem to embolden India’s enemies? Why does the Congress not trust its own Army, Navy, and Air Force? Why, during every major military operation, is the Congress’s first instinct to question-not the enemy, but India’s own forces? Does this not reflect lack of political maturity and a weakened sense of national unity? Or is it a mischief to appease the vote bank and several countries that feel threatened by India’s growing stature on the international canvas?
The political posturing of Rahul Gandhi and the Congress stands in sharp contrast to how global conflicts are handled. The Russia-Ukraine war, ongoing since February 2022, has resulted in immense destruction and heavy casualties on both sides. Yet, there has been little political dissent in those countries. Similarly, the Israel-Palestine conflict, intensified after the October 7, 2023 abduction of Israeli holidaymakers by Hamas, continues to rage. Despite suffering significant losses, Israeli political parties have largely maintained consensus in support of their armed forces and the leadership despite political differences.
India is not what Rahul Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge, Mamata Banerjee, Akhilesh Yadav, Udhav Thakery, Tejaswi Yadav, M.K. Stalin, Arvind Kejriwal, and their cohorts perceive it to be. India is a rising economic power and a military superpower in the making. They should shun their blame game and know that military operations carry inherent risks. Expecting zero casualties in high-stakes missions is unrealistic. Soldiers willingly face these dangers, but using their sacrifice for political point-scoring is not only disrespectful-it is deeply damaging to the morale of the forces. Nobody in the neighbouring rogue nation of Pakistan ever raised such questions about their failed military and leadership.
Yes, in a vibrant democracy like India, dissent is essential. But the timing and manner of that dissent matter immensely, especially when it concerns national security. Criticizing the government in the midst of a military operation is particularly irresponsible, as the Prime Minister has clearly and repeatedly reiterated that Operation Sindoor is paused, not ended.
What does patriotism mean in the context of political opposition? Where must the line be drawn between national interest and political criticism? Leaders like Rahul Gandhi have crossed that line. This has not gone well the people and even saner elements in the opposition like Shashi Tharoor and Salman Khursheed within the Congress, apart from Supriya Sule, Kazimohi, Priyanka Chaturvedi, Assaudin Owaisi, Raghav Chadda and many others who have effectively represented the nation on the global stage-calling out Pakistan for running a jihadi terror network. Their actions reflect India’s collective resolve to combat terrorism, despite the sinister plots of jihadist outfits and rogue elements within Pakistan’s deep state who aim to destabilize the world’s largest democracy. In fact, the Pakistan government and the military have openly started standing by the Jihadis.
In normal course, it should have been Rahul Gandhi, as Leader of the Opposition, to spearhead the global mission of exposing Pakistan’s direct support to terrorism, like Atal Behari Vajpayee, who headed a delegation to the UNHRC in Geneva in 1994 during the government of Prime Minister PV Narsimha Rao. But is he worth it? No, because he cannot wait to play politics against Prime Minister Modi and to let down the nation back home.
Yet, while some leaders engaged in proactive diplomacy abroad, domestic political opportunism continued to dominate the narrative at home.
The people of India feel let down by the opposition’s erratic conduct during an ongoing military engagement. Differences should have been set aside-at least temporarily. Constructive criticism could have waited, but not at the cost of demoralizing the armed forces or giving space to external adversaries to exploit our internal divisions.
India’s political class must introspect and ask themselves a simple question: “Does our criticism today strengthen India-or weaken it?”
Patriotism is not blind allegiance; it is informed support. It is the wisdom to place the nation above politics-especially when our soldiers are putting their lives on the line.
