“Operation Sindoor” has delivered a humiliating setback to Pakistan while decisively transforming the terms of engagement with the rogue nation. India is undergoing a significant shift in its foreign policy while demonstrating its military strength to both adversaries and the global community, however, the petty politics of opposition parties remain unchanged.
Rahul Gandhi, infamous for placing political ambitions above the nation’s interests, has once more acted as a pawn for Pakistan propaganda due to his habitual tendencies. He posted a video featuring External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, claiming that the latter had notified the Pakistan military about the operation beforehand. He also raised inquiries regarding the number of aircraft lost by the Indian Air Force.
Notably, the Press Information Bureau (PIB) fact-check had already declared the video to be a fabrication. The Indian government has debunked several phony videos and pictures that have surfaced on social media amid tensions between India and Pakistan.
Jaishankar orginally conveyed, “At the start of the operation, we had sent a message to Pakistan saying we are striking at terrorist infrastructure. We are not striking at the military. So, the military has an option of standing out, and not interfere in this process. They chose not to take this good advice.”
He did not state that Pakistan was notified prior to the commencement of the strikes. In reality, the timeline verified by Indian defense officials and corroborated by the PIB indicates that the operation had already concluded by the time the message was delivered to country’s authorities.
Furthermore, the Gandhi scion reiterated the falsehood concerning India losing its aircraft, a claim that lacks any evidence aside from the embarrassing “it’s all over social media” statement by Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif on CNN. However, the former remained unfazed by the truth, continuing to propagate distortions.
The party even stepped up its attack on Jaishankar on 19th May, the day Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri informed the Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs which was chaired by Congressman Shashi Tharoor, on developments in relation to India and Pakistan foreign policy.
The leader of the opposition in the Lok Sabha charged that Jaishankar’s silence was “damning” and again questioned how many aircrafts India lost because Pakistan was aware of its action. He termed it a crime and proclaimed that the nation has a right to know the truth. Predictably, the Islamic Republic latched onto his remarks and its media used them to claim victory and represent “Operation Sindoor” as a loss for India.
Reason replaced by conspiracy theories in Congress
Pawan Khera, the head of the Congress media department, repeated the accusations during a briefing of the All India Congress Committee (AICC). He alleged that Jaishankar’s comments might have assisted terrorists to abscond. “Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Foreign Minister S Jaishankar will have to answer why this was done. The government should answer how many aircraft did India lose? What losses did the country suffer? How many terrorists escaped,” he asked.
Lowering the standards of political discourse even further he asked, “What does it mean that you informed them? Do you trust the terrorists so much that they will stay there once you inform them? What is your relationship with them? Do you call this strategy. I am sorry, but in village language, it is called mukhbiri (acting as an informant). This is spying, a crime and betrayal.”
The Congress veteran even carried political mudslinging into the territory of outrageous conspiracy theories and added, “Was it because of this spying that Azhar Masood and Hafiz Saeed escaped alive? Does the country not deserve to know that you saved Azhar Masood? This is the same person who was saved earlier in Kandahar. Why was there a conspiracy to save him for the second time? If we have forewarned Pakistan, then obviously terrorists like Azhar Masood and Hafiz Saeed must have escaped.”
He implied that the United States and China might possess compromising information regarding Prime Minister Modi, Jaishankar and other leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party, given their reticence when dealing with these countries.
Row over MP delegation
The petty politics, as expected, is not confined solely to India’s military action but also encompasses its efforts to inform the world regarding Pakistan’s sinister schemes that resulted in the operation. Congress has expressed massive outrage following the selection of Shashi Tharoor by Modi government to head one of the seven delegations abroad for diplomatic efforts aimed at exposing Pakistan and emphasizing India’s ongoing battle against cross-border terrorism.
Notably, the party proposed the names of foreign union minister Anand Sharma along with Congress MPs Gaurav Gogoi, Syed Naseer Hussain and Amarinder Singh Brar. However, the government selected only one name from this list, Anand Sharma and substituted the remaining names with individuals not recommended by Congress, including Lok Sabha MPs Shashi Tharoor, Manish Tewari and former union minister Salman Khurshid.
The government clearly selected those who would be most effective in conveying the truth and the nation’s perspective. However, the Congress transformed this into an issue of political pride, labeling the decision as “dishonest” and “cheap politics” as well as alleged that the centre was “playing games.” It was remarked that the government appeared to have settled on the names even before seeking input from Congress.
“Everyone can see that Operation Sindoor is being politicised. US President Donald Trump’s repeated claims, made at least seven times, that the conflict was de-escalated due to his mediation. Yet, PM Modi has not responded. The EAM is silent,” Congress General Secretary in charge of Communications Jairam Ramesh accused. He even declared that there is a “huge difference between being in Congress and being of Congress.”
Meanwhile, the Thiruvananthapuram Lok Sabha MP has chosen to be part of the delegation. He voiced his intention to diligently carry out his designated duties. He even underscored that although his party leadership may hold differing opinions, his commitment to the country is unwavering. The announcement further incensed the top brass of Congress.
Moreover, Manish Tewari has also cited the “call of the nation” as reason for his decision to accompany the Indian delegation on its international outreach campaign against terrorism supported by Pakistan.
TMC refuses to join the delegation
The All India Trinamool Congress (AITC/TMC) also chose not to send its Lok Sabha MP Yusuf Pathan who was nominated by the centre or any other Member of Parliament in the multi-party delegations traveling to various nations to advocate against Pakistan’s cross-border terrorism. “They cannot decide member’s name on their own. It is not their choice. If they request the mother party will decide as is customary,” West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee stated.
“How can the union government decide the representative of Trinamool? They should have held discussions with the opposition to decide which representative a party will send,” party’s National General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee argued. “The BJP government is at the helm of affairs. They can decide for their party, but not for Congress or AAP (Aam Aadmi Party),” he added.
The government selected the MP from Murshidabad to be a member of the delegation after its floor leader for the Lok Sabha, Sudip Bandhyopadhyay, stated that his health prevented him from taking part in the campaign. According to TMC, the government did not consult them.
MP delegation: A norm in democracies
A parliamentary delegation refers to an official overseas visit by one or more legislators. Parliamentary delegations are established to promote solidarity, engage in negotiations, conduct research, carry out investigations and disseminate information. India has welcomed numerous delegations from different democracies in the past and has dispatched similar groups to various nations for diverse objectives.
The aim of the present delegation is to showcase the true nature of the cross-border terrorism instigated by Pakistan through its “bleed India by a thousand cuts” strategy. A recent instance of this was the Pahalgam terror attack, which resulted in the deaths of 26 Hindu tourists and escalated the conflict between the two neighboring countries.
In a copycat move, Islamabad also announced its own intentions to send a high-level team headed by former foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari to important international capitals, just hours after India made the declaration.
“I was contacted earlier today by Prime Minister (Shehbaz Sharif) who requested that I lead a delegation to present Pakistan’s case for peace on the international stage. I am honoured to accept this responsibility and remain committed to serving Pakistan in these challenging times,” Bilalwal wrote on social media.
It is widely acknowledged that Pakistan functions merely as a democracy in name, as it is effectively governed by its military which possesses the authority to manipulate elections, murder and imprison elected officials and leaders, including prime ministers.
Opposition leaders doubt “Operation Sindoor”
Congress leaders have already cast asperions on “Operation Sindoor.” Kothur Manjunath, the MLA from Kolar City in Karnataka, asserted that the action has proven ineffective and failed to deliver justice to the family of the victims of the Pahalgam terror attack. “If terrorists can enter our country, kill our people, and escape unscathed, isn’t that a glaring security failure? What was our army doing at the border? Did they have any plan at all,” he asked.
Prithviraj Chavan, a veteran Congress leader, criticized the administration over the operation’s codename, claiming it was picked to obtain “sentimental benefits.” Congress leader Udit Raj also levelled similar allegations and accused, “During discussions with intellectuals, it was pointed out that Sindoor is associated with a specific religion, and it would have been better if a different name was chosen.”
Mahua Maji, a Member of Parliament in the Rajya Sabha representing the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, voiced her dissatisfaction with the name of the operation, indicating that a more suitable title could have been chosen. She contended that the name was laden with political connotations and stated that the operation should have been assigned a different codename.
Senior Congress leader Rashid Alvi stated, “Much better reply needs to be given, this is bare minimum. Our forces did what govt of India told them to do, but the question again arises. Was every single terrorist killed? Will there won’t be another Pahalgam?”
The operation was met with skepticism from controversial Congressman and Lok Sabha MP Imran Masood. “How many (terrorists) were killed and what all damages could they inflict, this also should be announced, then we will feel at peace,” he asked. “The whole world mocked the air strike. Pakistanis were saying that they killed our three crows,” he claimed in an earlier interview to ridicule 2019 Balakote airstrike.
Conclusion
The opposition has transitioned from questioning the operation’s results to criticizing its name, and now to politicizing the government’s initiative to dispatch the MP delegation, opting to engage in political mudslinging instead of standing united with the government in these critical moments.
Nonetheless, their behavior is not unexpected, as the opposition parties, particularly the Congress, have consistently prioritized political interests over national issues and have aligned with the narrative of India’s hostile neighbour.
