Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday continued his critique of External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, demanding clarification on who requested US President Donald Trump’s mediation between India and Pakistan.
Taking to X, the Leader of Opposition re-shared a video from the Congress party featuring EAM Jaishankar addressing inquiries about “Operation Sindoor” and Trump’s role in brokering a ceasefire between the two nations. The Congress’s post questioned Jaishankar’s perceived hesitancy in responding effectively, asking, “Why is his tongue faltering?”
Gandhi, in his own post, articulated three key questions for the EAM: “Will JJ explain: Why has India been hyphenated with Pakistan? Why didn’t a single country back us in condemning Pakistan? Who asked Trump to ‘mediate’ between India & Pakistan? India’s foreign policy has collapsed.”
This latest challenge marks another instance in the past week where Gandhi has pressed Jaishankar on foreign policy decisions concerning India and Pakistan’s ongoing struggle with cross-border terrorism.
Gandhi Raises Concerns Over “Operation Sindoor” Aircraft:
Earlier, Rahul Gandhi had criticized Jaishankar for allegedly withholding details regarding an Indian aircraft reportedly lost during “Operation Sindoor.” Gandhi asserted that informing Pakistan at the outset of the operation was a grave error and a “crime.”
In a separate X post, he stated, “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.”
MEA Responds to Allegations:
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) issued a statement refuting Gandhi’s claims. The MEA clarified, “The external affairs minister 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.”
Additionally, the Press Information Bureau’s (PIB) fact-checking unit debunked the LoP’s assertions about Jaishankar providing advance information to Pakistan, stating, “EAM is being misquoted, and he has not made this statement.”