Rising voice, but waning influence
On Tuesday, Priyanka Gandhi's performance in the Lok Sabha debate on Operation Sindoor reminded one of her talents for public speaking — her swift reflexes, use of gentle mockery and ability to stay on message. Using the Pahalgam massacre — rather than Operation Sindoor, which was a response to it — she tore into PM Modi, telling him that it was not enough to take credit for successes: it was more important to take responsibility for intelligence and security failures and the well-being of the people. The government had also failed on the foreign policy front: Pakistan's army chief Asim Munir, she reminded Modi, had been invited to lunch by US President Trump; and Pakistan, ironically, had been appointed to key counter-terrorism bodies at the UNSC.
