How many aircraft lost due to ‘prior info’ by EAM, asks Rahul

The Congress and the BJP on Monday clashed for the second time in four days after Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi once again accused External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar of sharing information about Operation Sindoor with Pakistan.

Gandhi also asked the government about the number of aircraft India had allegedly lost in the process, a remark, the BJP said, Pakistan was weaponising.

“The EAM’s silence isn’t just telling — it’s damning. So I’ll ask again: How many Indian aircraft did we lose because Pakistan knew? This wasn’t a lapse. It was a crime. And the nation deserves to know the truth,” Gandhi said on X.

Sharing a video of Jaishankar, the former Congress chief said, “Informing Pakistan at the start of our attack was a crime. The EAM has publicly admitted that the Government of India did it. Who authorised it? ⁠How many aircraft did our Air Force lose as a result.”

The BJP hit back at the Congress, with party leader Amit Malviya posting a video of a Pakistan media channel playing up Rahul Gandhi’s questions about “lost aircraft”.

Accusing Rahul Gandhi of being the “modern-day Mir Jafar”, Malviya said, “Once again, Pakistani media is weaponising Rahul Gandhi’s social media posts to push a false narrative — this time, portraying a battle, in which India clearly dominated the escalation matrix, as something in their favour.”

“This isn’t new. In the past as well, the Pakistani establishment has gleefully cited Rahul Gandhi’s statements in international forums to deflect attention from their own role in harbouring terrorists. His words repeatedly serve as cover for those who sponsor cross-border terrorism,” he added.

Malviya asked the Congress, “at what point does political ambition give way to national responsibility”.

On May 15, after Gandhi accused Jaishankar of sharing information with Pakistan, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) had described his claims as “utter misrepresentations”.

After Gandhi reposted the same video and fired fresh salvos at Jaishankar, Congress Media Department head Pawan Khera echoed his leader and questioned the relationship between the EAM and Pakistan, due to which information was allegedly shared beforehand.

“This is not diplomacy, this is espionage. Everyone heard what the EAM said. A cover-up is being done,” said Khera, asking if this prior information helped terrorists Masood Azhar and Hafiz Saeed escape India’s airstrikes on terror bases.

“This statement suggests the terrorists must have fled their bases. The PM and the EAM must answer why this was done,” Khera said.

The BJP further slammed the Congress for politicising a matter of national interest. Malviya said, “Rahul Gandhi’s daftness is not merely incidental — it is sinister. He is speaking the language of Pakistan.”

The government again cited DGMO Lt Gen Rajiv Ghai's May 11 statement to dismiss Gandhi’s accusations.

The commander had said, “Even though we attempt to reach out and communicate our compulsions to strike at the heart of terror to my counterpart in the immediate wake of Operation Sindoor, the request was brusquely turned down, with an intimation that a severe response was inevitable and in the offing. We were, of course, prepared….”

The government as well as the BJP said Lt Gen Ghai’s statements aligned exactly with EAM Jaishankar’s statement that India had issued a warning to Pakistan during the early phase of Operation Sindoor.