‘If he has the courage of Indira Gandhi, let him say that Donald Trump is a liar...’ Rahul Gandhi slams PM Modi

New Delhi: Speaking during the debate on Operation Sindoor in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday, Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi strongly criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP-led government, accusing them of being "clueless about everything".

Gandhi questioned the government’s silence on former US President Donald Trump’s past claim regarding a ceasefire.

"US President Donald Trump 29 times said that he is the reason for ceasefire. But why’s PM not clarifying the statement?” he asked.

He added, “If he has the courage of Indira Gandhi, let him say that Donald Trump is a liar and we did not lose any plane.”

“If the Prime Minister has even 50 percent of Indira Gandhi’s courage, he should stand in Parliament and say Trump lied,” he said.

Brutal attack, united condemnation

Rahul Gandhi described the Pahalgam terror attack as “a brutal attack, heartless attack organised and orchestrated clearly by the Pakistani State. Young people, old people were murdered in cold blood, mercilessly. We have, together, every single person in this House, condemned Pakistan.”

Referring to the Opposition’s position since the beginning of Operation Sindoor, Gandhi said, “The moment Operation Sindoor began, in fact even before it began, the Opposition committed itself, all the parties, that we will stand like a rock with the Forces and with the elected Govt of India.”

He criticised the ruling party for making sarcastic remarks, but stressed that the Opposition chose not to respond.

“We heard the odd jibe, the sarcastic remarks from some of their leaders. But we said absolutely nothing. This was something that was agreed among all the senior leadership of the INDIA Alliance. We are very proud that as an Opposition, we stood united as we should have.”

Political will and freedom of operation

Rahul Gandhi emphasised the importance of political leadership and strategic freedom for military operations.

“There are two words, ‘Political Will’ and ‘Freedom of Operation’. If you want to utilise Indian Armed Forces, you need to have 100% political will and full freedom of operation.”

He responded to Defence Minister Rajnath Singh’s comparison of Operation Sindoor with the 1971 war, stating:

“Yesterday, Rajnath Singh compared 1971 and Sindoor. I would like to remind him that there was political will in 1971. Seventh Fleet was approaching India through the Indian Ocean. The then PM said we will have to do whatever we have to Bangladesh, come wherever you have to... Indira Gandhi told General Manekshaw take 6 months, 1 year, whatever time you need because you should have freedom of action, of manoeuvre. 1 lakh Pakistani soldiers surrendered and a new country was formed.”

Rahul Gandhi further claimed that the motive behind Operation Sindoor was to protect PM Modi’s global image, stating, “The Prime Minister had blood on his hands after Pahalgam, and he used the Air Force to wash it off.”

Taking aim at External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, Gandhi pointed out that no country, not even neighbours, condemned Pakistan after the Pahalgam attack.

“Countries only condemned terrorism in general. This shows that the world now equates India with Pakistan.”

He also raised concerns over growing China-Pakistan military collaboration, referring to shared intelligence and joint command presence in PLA theatres.

“Our biggest foreign policy challenge is to de-link China and Pakistan, but this government has allowed them to fuse into a single unified front,” he warned.

Put nation above politics

In a sharp closing remark, Rahul Gandhi urged the government to prioritise national interest and the dignity of the armed forces over political gains.

“Do not allow India to be reduced to a battlefield. We have to navigate and protect our interest. To the PM, the nation is above your PR, your image, your politics. The forces are above your PR. Have the humility to understand that. Have the dignity to understand that. Do not sacrifice the armed forces and national interest for your own petty political games,” he concluded