Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday alleged that Operation Sindoor was aimed at protecting Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s image, tearing into the government’s attempt to claim military and diplomatic victory for India’s response to the Pahalgam terror attack when not one country had condemned Pakistan.

Intervening in the discussion on Operation Sindoor in the Lok Sabha, the leader of the Opposition pulled no punches while going after Modi and external affairs minister S. Jaishankar after his sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra had earlier in the day lambasted home minister Amit Shah.

“The goal of the exercise was to protect the Prime Minister’s image…. It is dangerous in this time for the Prime Minister to use the forces to protect his image. It is dangerous for the country. The forces should only be used in national interest,” Rahul said.

“The nation is above your image, above your politics and above your PR. The forces are above your PR, your image and your politics. Have the humility to understand that. Have the dignity to understand that. And, do not sacrifice the armed forces and national interest for your own petty political gains,” he
said while signing off his 37-minute speech.

Earlier, Rahul dared Modi to counter US President Donald Trump’s claims — 26 times in two-and-a-half months — that he had brokered peace between India and Pakistan.

“If he has the courage of Indira Gandhi, let him say here that… you did not make the ceasefire and we did not lose any planes,” Rahul said.

Several Opposition leaders had pointed out that Jaishankar had not categorically rejected Trump’s claims in his intervention on Monday.

Referring to the government’s claim that India had deterred Pakistan, Rahul brought up Pakistani army chief Asim Munir’s lunch with Trump at the White House.

“The man behind Pahalgam… is having lunch with the President of the United States…. Trump is breaking all protocol and inviting the man who has committed terrorism in India to have lunch with him and the Prime Minister has not said anything. The Prime Minister has not said how dare Trump invite Munir to his office,” the Congress MP said.

Flagging the fact that not one country had named Pakistan in their condemnation of the Pahalgam terror attack, Rahul questioned the rationale behind India’s “new normal” — that any act of terror is an act of war.

“What this statement is saying is that any terrorist who wants to make India fight a war has just got to do one attack in India. You have handed over the power to declare war to terrorists…. You have taken the entire idea of deterrence and turned it upside down. The next terror attack that happens, what will you do? You will attack Pakistan again?’’ Rahul asked.

Earlier in the day, Priyanka named every one of the 25 Indians killed in the Pahalgam attack. She was countered by BJP MPs, who insisted that she refer to the deceased by their religion, leading to competing chants from across the floor of the House.

Priyanka focused on how there was no attempt by the government to take responsibility for the intelligence failure and security lapse, or answer questions on why the attack took place when the government kept claiming that peace had returned to Kashmir. “Let alone resignation, has anyone taken responsibility? After the Mumbai terror attack, the Maharashtra chief minister and the Union home minister had resigned…. There was accountability towards the people…. The nation needs more than empty speeches.”

Accusing the government of “exemplary political cowardice”, the Wayanad MP asked why the Modi dispensation was not categorically saying in Parliament that India did not lose any aircraft in Operation Sindoor. “Why dodge questions?”

DMK’s Kanimozhi, who had led one of the seven all-party delegations overseas, took a swipe at the government for needing the Opposition and MPs from minority communities to project India’s diversity abroad.

“We all went together and stood for India,” she said while crediting the government for the initiative.

Stating that the government saw merit in projecting the idea of unity in diversity to the international community, the MP asked: “Why is your policy in India so divisive? Hate speeches by your leaders have gone up by 74 per cent.”

She wanted to know if the government had taken any action against the Madhya Pradesh BJP minister who had shamed Operation Sindoor spokesperson Colonel Sofia Qureshi, the party leader who shamed the victims of Pahalgam and people who trolled foreign secretary Vikram Misri and his family.