“Not one country condemned Pakistan for the Pahalgam terror attack,” he said, calling the silence of the international community deeply telling. “What does that mean? It means that the world equates India with Pakistan.”
Rahul Gandhi was referring to the brutal April 2025 massacre in Kashmir’s Pahalgam, which was executed by Pakistan-backed terrorists. He began his speech by expressing solidarity with the victims, describing the assault as “a brutal attack, heartless attack, organised and orchestrated clearly by the Pakistanis.”
“Mercilessly young people, old people, murdered in cold blood,” Gandhi said. “Together, every person in this House, condemned Pakistan. The moment Operation Sindoor began, the Opposition committed itself, all the parties, that we will stand like a rock, with forces and the elected government of India.”
‘Does the Defence Minister know what he revealed?’
Targeting Defence Minister Rajnath Singh’s earlier statement on the government’s post-strike communication with Pakistan, Rahul Gandhi said:
“Rajnath Singh said Operation Sindoor started at 01:05 AM and lasted 22 minutes. Then, he said the most shocking thing… that at 1:35AM we called Pakistan and told them we have hit non-military targets and we do not want escalation. These are the words of the defence minister of India. Does he understand what he revealed?”
He criticised the government for allegedly giving away sensitive information to Pakistan. “You told Pakistan directly that you do not have the political will to fight,” Gandhi claimed. “Rajnath Singh said that the Indian DGMO also told Pakistan that we do not want any military escalation.”
‘We told them we won’t hit military infrastructure, but sent our pilots to enemy territory’
Gandhi went further, accusing the political leadership of compromising India’s strategic posture:“We told Pakistanis that we will not attack your military infrastructure, that we will not attack your air defence system — but you then send your pilots to enemy territory.”He claimed that such a message from India amounts to weakening the armed forces’ hand in combat situations. “The Indian Air Force made no mistake. The mistake was made by the political leadership that constrained India’s defence forces,” he said.Referring to an Indian diplomat’s remarks overseas, Gandhi said: “Then, the Indian attache in Indonesia admitted that India lost fighter jets in Pakistan and that this happened because of political constraints.”
‘There was political will in 1971 — not today’
Recalling the Indo-Pak war of 1971, Rahul Gandhi drew a contrast between then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi’s leadership and the present-day BJP government:“In 1971, there was political will. I would like to remind this to Rajnath Singh. Sam Manekshaw and Indira Gandhi cooperated with each other, listened and took decisive action against those who were threatening India’s sovereignty.”Rahul Gandhi also criticised the government for what he said was its unwillingness to engage on the tough questions. “You do not wish to answer,” he said, questioning the silence on why Trump, the former US President, “has said 29 times that he is responsible for ceasefire.” He added, “If he’s lying, let the PM say that he is lying.”Rahul Gandhi’s address was interspersed with emotional anecdotes from his meetings with families of the Pahalgam attack victims. “I went to Narwal ji’s house. His son was in the Indian Navy. Upon meeting him, I went like I was sitting with my family,” he said.He recounted a heartbreaking moment shared by martyr Vinay Narwal’s sister: “I look at the door and think: my brother will come, but he doesn’t… he never will.”He also recalled meeting a grieving woman in Uttar Pradesh: “A husband was gunned down in front of his wife as he was buying something in Baisaran Valley.”
Source: Economic Times
