Latest news with #OpSindoor
News18
5 hours ago
- Politics
- News18
‘Call Trump A Liar': Why PM Modi Has Done Well By Ignoring Rahul's Dare
Last Updated: To call upon Prime Minister Modi to publicly label the head of a partner nation—a key strategic ally—as a liar is shallow, inflammatory, and counterproductive Rahul Gandhi has set the Prime Minister a test. Speaking in the Lok Sabha, the Congress scion taunted the Prime Minister thus: 'If Modiji has even 50% of the courage that Indira Gandhi had, then clearly he must say in Parliament – Donald Trump (U.S. President) is lying…Trump you're a liar you did not make a ceasefire…" The taunt caparisons a shrill campaign launched by the Congress aimed at providing Modi some sort of gateway to redemption in the public sphere as if he needed one. For the past few weeks, the principal opposition party has sought to establish that Modi 'surrendered" India's strategic autonomy—that he did so by agreeing to a Donald Trump-dictated ceasefire just as India's armed forces had gained the upper hand over Pakistan's military during Op Sindoor. Trump has inadvertently helped the Congress party's cause by repeatedly crediting himself for 'brokering a truce" between his 'two great friends"— Modi and General Asim Munir. Nevertheless, to call upon Prime Minister Modi to publicly label the head of a partner nation—a key strategic ally—as a liar is shallow, inflammatory, and counterproductive. If not Rahul Gandhi himself, then surely his so-called seasoned advisors in the Congress party should recognise that performative diplomacy is, at best, a tone-deaf spectacle—and at worst, a ham-fisted ploy deployed by image-obsessed egomaniacs. History offers no shortage of such self-defeating pageants of brinkmanship. While a leader may gain short-term traction on the domestic front, such gambits almost always squander strategic capital abroad. Consider the example of Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu. For a while, he sought to consolidate his domestic base by donning T-shirts emblazoned with the highly charged 'India Out' slogan. Encouraged by the domestic reception to this symbolic provocation, Muizzu escalated by pointedly declining an invitation to attend Modi's swearing-in ceremony after the 2024 Lok Sabha elections—a clear and highly personalised diplomatic snub. But the decision to trade goodwill with a reliable regional ally for applause at home came at a steep cost. India reviewed its aid and financial cooperation, and tourist inflow from India plummeted—crippling the economy of the heavily tourism-dependent island nation. With livelihoods at stake, the public mood shifted. Muizzu was soon accused by his own base of jeopardizing the country's economic prospects. Chastened, the once-combative President reversed course. Just two years after his ill-judged flex, Muizzu rolled out the red carpet for Modi. An even earlier generation of Indians will remember a similar episode of needless performative antipathy – this time from Washington. A taped conversation from June 1971 reveals that then-U.S. President Richard Nixon referred to Prime Minister Indira Gandhi as 'that old witch" and a 'cold-blooded b*tch." These remarks, shared privately with aides like Henry Kissinger, were more than casual misogyny; they seeped into U.S. foreign policy posture. India, already wary of American double standards, was alienated further. The resulting diplomatic chill pushed New Delhi into closer alignment with Moscow, altering the regional balance of power for decades. Today, India is at the high table of global diplomacy. The positions it adopts, the relationships it nurtures, and the battles it chooses to fight carry consequences not only for Indian citizens, but for the wider world. As CEO of the world's largest democracy, Prime Minister Modi cannot afford to lose sight of India's unique place in the global order—or the responsibility that comes with leading it. He has far more to gain, and much less to lose, by rejecting Rahul Gandhi's petulant test of performance politics. Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
NDTV
13 hours ago
- Politics
- NDTV
Kiren Rijiju's '1971' Counter To Rahul Gandhi's "Political Will" Face-Off
New Delhi: After a massive parliament face-off over Operation Sindoor, the centre has pushed back against Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, who had questioned the government's "political will" to strike at Pakistan during the four-day fiery border confrontation. Union Minister Kiren Rijiju has shared a 1971 letter from former prime minister Indira Gandhi calling on the then-US president Richard Nixon to persuade Pakistan to desist from attacking India. "Please give four minutes to see this text of the letter of Smt. Indira Gandhi to President Nixon. Is this the political will of Smt Indira Gandhi ji?" asked Mr Rijiju on X, sharing a link to Ms Gandhi's letter in the US archives. The December 5, 1971, letter followed Pakistan's declaration of war against India and sought to justify any action that may be taken to safeguard the country's security and territorial integrity. "In this hour of danger, the Government and the people of India seek your understanding and urge you to persuade Pakistan to desist forthwith from the policy of wanton aggression and military adventurism which it has unfortunately embarked upon," wrote Ms Gandhi in her letter. "May I request Your Excellency to exercise your undoubted influence with the Government of Pakistan to stop their aggressive activities against India and to deal immediately with the genesis of the problem of East Bengal, which has caused so much trial and tribulations to the people not only of Pakistan but of the entire sub-continent," the letter further read. Mr Rijiju's counter followed Mr Gandhi's charge that the government lacked "political will" to strike at Pakistan and that it left the armed forces with their "hands tied behind their backs" during Op Sindoor. During the special debate yesterday, Mr Gandhi raised the claims that India had lost some aircraft during the confrontation. "That happened only because of the constraint by the government. Meaning, you told our pilots and tied their hands behind their backs and told them to go. The defence minister publicly said this in the house. The point is that aircraft were lost because of the constraint by political will. You started the fight and then in the beginning, you said we don't have the political will," Mr Gandhi said in his 40-minute speech. His accusations followed PM Modi reiterating to parliament that his government had given a free hand to the forces. "They (the armed forces) were given full freedom, and we told them that you will decide when, where, and how to execute the operation. We taught them (Pakistan) a tough lesson, and even today, they are getting sleepless nights," he said.
Time of India
14 hours ago
- Politics
- Time of India
"If PM Modi has courage of Indira Gandhi, let him say Donald Trump is a liar": Rahul Gandhi in Lok Sabha
Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday launched a sharp attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Parliament over his silence on US President Donald Trump's claims of having brokered a ceasefire between India and in the debate on Operation Sindoor in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi said, "Donald Trump has said 29 times that he brokered ceasefire. If he is lying, then the PM should say this in the House that Trump is lying. If he has the courage of Indira Gandhi, let him say here that Donald Trump is a liar. And we didn't lose any planes. If he has even 50 per cent courage of Indira Gandhi."The Congress MP also criticised India's foreign policy stance following the Pahalgam terror attack and questioned the External Affairs Minister's use of the term "new normal"."One new word has come - 'new normal'. EAM use this word frequently. He said in speeches that countries have condemned terrorism, absolutely, but he didn't tell that after Pahalgam, not a single country condemned Pakistan. It means the world is equating us with Pakistan. Earlier, during the UPA government, it was clear that Pakistan was promoting terrorism, and they used to condemn Pakistan," Rahul Gandhi Gandhi also referred to Pakistan's Army Chief General Asim Munir's recent visit to the United States, where he was invited for lunch with US President Donald Trump."EAM says we have deterred Pakistan. The man behind Pahalgam is General Munir. That man is having lunch with US President Trump... The new normal is Gen Munir having lunch with President Trump... Another new normal - at the end of the exercise (Op Sindoor), the GOI said any act of terror is an act of war... It's craziness. You have taken the entire idea of deterrence and turned it down. What will you do if the next terror attack happens?" the Lok Sabha LoP Congress MP further claimed that India lost five fighter jets during the operation due to "political constraints" imposed on the armed remarks of Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan and Captain Shiv Kumar, India's Defence Attache in Indonesia, the LoP said, "Second thing he (Defence Minister) said - He told the Pakistanis that we are not going to hit any of your military infrastructure. This is an interesting fact. I said freedom of manoeuvre, meaning freedom to the air force. Captain Shiv Kumar, Defence Attache, Indonesia, he says - I may not agree with him that India lost so many aircraft, but I do agree we did lose some aircraft, that happened only because of the constraints given by the political leadership to not attack the military establishments and their air defence.""It means - You went into Pakistan and told our pilots do not attack their air defence systems. It means you told your pilots to go and attack Pakistan and face their air defence system. It means you tied their hands behind their back. The point is, aircraft were lost. It means you started and said you do not have political will and you won't attack military establishments and then asked the pilots to fights. Everybody knows the result; you do not want to give answers but everybody knows the result..." Gandhi also cited remarks made by Lieutenant General Rahul Singh, Deputy Chief of Army Staff (Capability Development and Sustenance), suggesting that Pakistan had real-time intelligence from China during DGMO-level LoP said, "I want to say to CDS General Anil Chauhan ji, you made no tactical mistake, the Indian air force made no mistake, the mistake was made by the political leadership that said you cannot attack the military infrastructure. The air force is not to blame at all."Referring to the remarks Lieutenant General Rahul Singh, the Deputy Chief of Army Staff (Capability Development and Sustenance), the Congress MP said, "Lieutenant General Rahul Singh, during an event on May 11th, said that when the DGMO-level talks were going on, Pakistan actually mentioned that we know that such and such an important vector is primed and ready for action. I would request you to perhaps pull it back. And he says so, it is very clear they were getting live battlefield inputs from China... If you had listened to me here, you would not have lost those 5 planes. If you have listened that Chinese and Pakistanis have fused..."Reiterating the opposition's support during the operation, Gandhi said the INDIA bloc had backed both the armed forces and the government from the outset."A brutal and heartless attack organised and orchestrated clearly by the Pakiststate. Young people and old people murdered mercilessly. Together, every single person in this house condemned Pakistan. The moment Op Sindoor began, in fact before it began, the opposition committed itself that we will stand like a rock with forces and elected government of India. 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 senior leadership of the INDIA alliance. We are very proud that as an opposition we stood united as we should," he LoP also shared emotional accounts from his meetings with families of victims of the Pahalgam attack."After Pahalgam, I went to Narwal Ji's home, which was in Karnal, his son was in the Navy, and he himself was in the CRPF. I felt like I was sitting with my own family. He showed me his son's photographic album and told about him. In one way, he told me about his family... After that, in Uttar Pradesh, I met another family, and terrorists killed a husband in front of his wife. It is painful and saddening. Whatever happened was wrong, everybody condemned it..." he said.
Time of India
19 hours ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Op Sindoor fought against China and not Pak: Akhilesh
Lucknow: Describing China as the 'dragon' that will usurp not only Indian territory but trade as well, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Tuesday said that Operation Sindoor was fought against China, and not Pakistan. Speaking in the debate on Operation Sindoor in the Lok Sabha, Akhilesh said infiltration of terrorists was a constant serious concern along Pakistan border, but China has emerged as a more serious threat. "Humein Cheen se utna hi khatra hai jitna humein atankwad se khatra hai (For us China is as serious a threat as terrorism)," he said. In his 34-minute-long address, the SP chief emphatically underlined his concern over India not seeing China as a threat and maintaining economic and trade ties with it. "We are against war. We aspire for peace at the border. This war (Op Sindoor) was not against Pakistan. No matter how much you (govt) try, you cannot sweep it under the carpet that you had to fight this war against China," Akhilesh said, adding that he would expect a reply from govt on who was backing Pakistan during Operation Sindoor. In order to reign in Pakistan, India will have revise its economic and trade policy with China, the SP chief said, suggesting that India should reduce trade ties with China over a period of 10 to 15 years and this will help India to follow its call for "Atmanirbhar Bharat" (self-reliant India). Akhilesh questioned the timing of the killing of three Pahalgam terrorists which coincided with Parliament debate on Operation Sindoor. He asked why govt had failed to trace the place from where the suicide bomber's car loaded with explosives came in Pulwama attack of 2019. Akhilesh, who is MP from Kannauj, claimed that the Indian borders in the north east were not secure and encroachments were happening at regular intervals. He demanded that govt must provide specifics like the total area of Indian territory in 2014 and in square kilometres in 2014 and the area under Indian occupation in 2025. "Those who claimed in their election rallies that they would take back PoK and Aksai Chin, I want to ask govt: What was the surface area of India when this govt was formed in 2014 and the corresponding statistics as in 2025?," Akhilesh said. Akhilesh slammed govt's failure to reign in those who targeted family members of Pahalgam victims who called for harmony and peace post the terror attack.
Time of India
19 hours ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Indian forces ready to face any hostile nation boldly, says Rajnath Singh
NEW DELHI: Describing the 's recent decision to appoint Pakistan as the vice chair of its counter-terrorism committee as "a cruel joke", defence minister Tuesday said the world must put strategic, diplomatic and economic pressure on Islamabad which continues to provide safe haven to terror organisations. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Initiating the debate on in RS, Singh also said the "day is not far" when the people of Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir will willingly "return home" and become a part of India. Though he did not name China, which actively helped Pakistan during the May 7-10 cross-border hostilities with even "live" satellite inputs on Indian military deployments, Singh said, "We know which country was doing what during Operation Sindoor." "Not only Pakistan, but every country that looks at India with ill-intent should understand that today, our armed forces have the strength & capability to deal with any Op Sindoor, we have also sent a message to the powers that were encouraging Pakistan," he added. While repeating most of what he said in Lok Sabha on Monday, including that Operation Sindoor had been only paused for now after achieving politico-military objectives, Singh made special mention of UNSC's decision to make Pakistan vice chair of the counter-terror panel, calling it "very unfortunate" and a "mockery" of the global fight against terrorism. "This panel was formed after 9/11. And we all know who carried out 9/11 attacks. It is also no secret Pakistan harboured the mastermind (Osama bin Laden) of that attack. This is like asking a cat to guard the milk. This decision is not only shocking but also reflects the seriousness of an organisation like UN on the issue of ," he said. Pakistan is a country where declared terrorists like Hafiz Saeed and Masood Azhar roam freely and spew venom, and Army officers offer prayers at funerals of terrorists. "Now, the same Pakistan is expected to lead the global community against terrorism. Is this anything less than a cruel joke?" Singh added.
