'India's foreign policy has collapsed:' Rahul Gandhi attacks govt, BJP says he is weakening nation

Rahul Gandhi had questioned External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, accusing him of being silent on how many aircraft the Indian Air Force were lost during Operation Sindoor and said that the nation "deserves the truth".

New Delhi: Criticising the BJP-led NDA government, Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha (LoP) Rahul Gandhi on Friday said that India's foreign policy has collapsed. In a post on X, Gandhi raised three questions to the central government. "Will JJ explain, Why India has been hyphenated with Pakistan? Why didn't a single country back us in condemning Pakistan? Who asked Trump to "mediate" between India & Pakistan?" the LoP said. Reposting a video of S Jaishankar's interview with a media outlet, he said, "India's foreign policy has collapsed," he added.

Earlier, Rahul Gandhi questioned External Affairs Minister Jaishankar, accusing him of being silent on how many aircraft the Indian Air Force lost during Operation Sindoor and said that the nation "deserves the truth". "EAM Jaishankar'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 the truth," Rahul Gandhi posted on X.

The Lok Sabha LoP's outburst has been met with sharp criticism by the BJP with party spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia accusing him of weakening the morale of the forces. "When Operation Sindoor is going on, Rahul Gandhi is giving careless statements. He is asking how many IAF jets are down. On May 11, during a press briefing, Air Marshal Bharti said, 'We are in a combat scenario, it is not prudent for us to answer that question'... Rahul Gandhi seems to be busy in conversations with Pakistan on how to weaken Indian and the morale of the forces... Today, a senior leader of Pakistan, Mariam Nawaz, gave a statement that on the night of May 6 and 7, and on May 9, Pakistan had to face a huge loss because of India's action... At such a time, what is LoP and 'Nishan E Pakistan' Rahul Gandhi saying," he said.

"You can ask any question in an all-party meeting of the MEA briefing. Your questions can be answered... But such activities by Rahul Gandhi are not innocent. This cannot be neglected by calling it Rahul Gandhi's childlike, for which he is known... When it is about the nation, every statement holds weight, and will be exposed if it causes harm to the country... Why has Rahul Gandhi started hating 140 crore Indians while hating PM Modi," he added.

India launched Operation Sindoor on May 7 in response to the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam that left 26 civilians dead. As part of the operation, Indian Armed Forces targeted terror infrastructure deep inside Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir, eliminating over 100 terrorists linked to Jaish-e-Mohammed, Lashkar-e-Taiba, and Hizbul Mujahideen. Following the strikes, Pakistan retaliated with cross-border shelling and attempted drone attacks. In response, India launched coordinated airstrikes that damaged key military infrastructure across 11 Pakistani airbases. On May 10, both sides announced an understanding on the cessation of hostilities.