New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has intensified his criticism of External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, alleging that India informed Pakistan “at the start” of Operation Sindoor, calling it a “crime” rather than a lapse. Gandhi shared and reposted a video clip of Jaishankar’s remarks, claiming the Minister admitted to giving prior warning to Pakistan and demanding to know how many Indian aircraft were lost as a result.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Gandhi wrote:
“Informing Pakistan at the start of our attack was a crime. EAM has publicly admitted that GOI did it. Who authorised it?”
In a follow-up post, he said,
“The EAM’s silence isn’t just telling – it’s damning. This wasn’t a lapse. It was a crime. The nation deserves the truth.”
The BJP, however, strongly denied the allegations. Government sources and the Ministry of External Affairs clarified that Jaishankar’s statement was being deliberately misinterpreted. The Ministry noted that the communication with Pakistan referred to by Jaishankar occurred after Operation Sindoor had begun and was aimed at avoiding escalation with the Pakistani military.
The MEA said:
“This is being falsely represented as being before the commencement. This utter misrepresentation of facts is being called out.”
Further backing this, the Director General of Military Operations (DGMO), Lt General Rajiv Ghai, had stated during a briefing:
“Even though we did attempt to reach out and communicate our compulsions to strike at the heart of terror in the immediate wake of Operation Sindoor, the request was brusquely turned down.”
The Press Information Bureau’s fact-check unit also debunked the claim, stating Jaishankar did not say India informed Pakistan in advance. It cautioned against spreading “deceptive information.”
Despite the clarifications, Congress continued its offensive. Party spokesperson Pawan Khera accused Jaishankar of engaging in “espionage, not diplomacy”, and demanded accountability from both the Minister and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He raised concerns that the alleged information may have allowed wanted terrorists like Masood Azhar and Hafiz Saeed to escape.
In response, BJP spokesperson Tuhin Sinha said Gandhi is “acting at the behest of certain powers” and trying to undermine India’s diplomatic efforts while Jaishankar is abroad.
“Only someone with juvenile, vile intent can keep misrepresenting facts that have been cleared multiple times,” said Sinha.
BJP’s Shehzad Poonawalla added that Rahul Gandhi’s statements were being echoed by Pakistani media, questioning whether it was a coincidence.
The political standoff comes weeks after a rare period of unity, when opposition leaders expressed support for the government’s military response following a deadly terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam that killed 26 civilians.
