'Damning silence': Rahul doubles down on allegations against Jaishankar
The Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha re-shared his earlier post on X, wherein he first made the allegation and accused Jaishankar of maintaining “silence” on the issue
Reiterating his allegation against External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar on Monday (May 19), Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi doubled down on his charge against the BJP-led government at the Centre that it informed Pakistan “at the start” of Operation Sindoor, saying that it was not just a lapse but a “crime”.
Questions 'silence’
Rahul re-shared his earlier post on X, wherein he first made the allegation and accused Jaishankar of maintaining “silence” on the issue, which was not “just telling” but also “damming”.
The former Congress chief asked how many aircraft the Indian military had lost as a result of the move to inform Pakistan at the beginning of Operation Sindoor, adding that the nation deserves to know the truth.
“EAM Jaishankar’s silence isn’t just telling — it’s damning. So I’ll ask again: How many Indian aircraft did we lose because Pakistan knew? This wasn’t a lapse. It was a crime. And the nation deserves the truth,” stated Rahul in a post on X.
Also read | Rahul targets Modi govt on Operation Sindoor: 'Informing Pakistan was a crime'
BJP hits back
Rahul’s latest comments drew severe flak from the ruling BJP, which questioned the intent and timing of his remarks. Sharing a video of a news bulletin of a Pakistani media house, BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla said that Rahul are the Pakistani media are both speaking in the “same language.”
Cover-up, says Cong
Congress’s media wing also swung into action, backing Rahul. Senior Congress leader Pawan Khera questioned the “relationship” between Pakistan and Jaishankar because of which the Union minister informed the neighbouring country about Operation Sindoor “beforehand”, reported NDTV.Dubbing the alleged move as “espionage”, Khera said that there was an attempt to cover up the move. He wondered whether the move helped terrorists Masood Azhar and Hafiz Saeed escape Indian strikes on terror bases and demanded an answer from Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister Jaishankar.
MEA’s denial
However, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has denied Rahul’s allegations and argued that Jaishankar’s remarks were being distorted. "The EAM had stated that 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 said, as quoted by NDTV.
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The Press Information Bureau’s fact-check wing also said that Jaishankar was being misquoted. “The social media post falsely implies from External Affairs Minister @DrSJaishankar's statement that India informed Pakistan before the start of #OperationSindoor. EAM is being misquoted, and he has not made this statement. Remain vigilant and avoid falling for deceptive information,” it posted on X.