If he has 50 pc courage of Indira Gandhi, let PM Modi say Trump is lying: Rahul Gandhi in LS

Congress MP and Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday accused the government of lacking the political will to support the Indian armed forces and claimed it revealed sensitive details about Operation Sindoor to Pakistan.

Alongside, he also challenged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to publicly call US President Donald Trump "a liar" for repeating the claim "29 times" that he orchestrated a ceasefire between India and Pakistan.

Speaking in the Lok Sabha, Gandhi sharply criticised the government's military response to the 22 April Pahalgam attack, raising questions about defence minister Rajnath Singh's statements on the floor of the House.

"Rajnath Singh said Operation Sindoor began at 1.05 am (on 7 May) and that by 1.35 am, India had already called Pakistan to inform them that we had hit non-military targets and that we did not want escalation," Gandhi said. "These are not my words. These are the words of India's defence minister."

Gandhi also accused the government of undermining the morale and effectiveness of the armed forces by imposing limitations. "If you want to use the Indian armed forces, you must have 100 per cent political will. You must give them full freedom of operation," he asserted.

In another scathing attack, Gandhi compared India's actions in informing Pakistan that "we didn't want escalation" was akin to "delivering a slap and then saying we won't hit you again". Asking why this was so, he delivered the answer himself, saying the entire exercise (of Operation Sindoor) was designed to protect the prime minister's image.

Taking yet another shot at PM Modi, he said, "The point is that we're now facing a Chinese-Pakistani fusion right in front of us. This is a very dangerous time, and we can't afford a prime minister who lacks the courage to utilise the army effectively. We can't afford a prime minister who doesn't have the guts to say Donald Trump is a liar, that he didn't stop India from fighting and is lying about the planes (India's Rafale fighter jets which were allegedly downed, though the Indian government has remained silent on the matter).

"We need a prime minister who empowers the Army and Air Force, giving them the freedom to act, and says, 'finish the job', much like Indira Gandhi did."

The Congress leader claimed that the Indian director-general of military operations (DGMO) was instructed by the government to seek a ceasefire just 30 minutes after the launch of the operation.

"At 1.35 in the night, you told Pakistan exactly what you were going to do — that we will not hit military targets, that we don't want escalation," Gandhi said. "You directly told Pakistan your political will, that you do not want to fight. You attacked Pakistan and simultaneously told them we are not going to hit your army or air defence systems. That is not freedom of manoeuvre; that is surrender."

Gandhi also claimed that the loss of Indian aircraft during the operation was due to political constraints, not military shortcomings. "The aircraft were lost because the political leadership had tied the hands of the armed forces by deciding not to attack military and air defence infrastructure in Pakistan," he said.

Gandhi quoted India's defence attache in Indonesia to attack the government, saying "you told pilots not to attack their air defence system".

With PTI inputs