On Monday, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) strongly criticized the Congress party and the INDIA alliance, accusing them of undermining the morale of India's military by issuing insulting remarks and questioning their courage.
Sudhanshu Trivedi, at a press conference, attacked Congress after Congress leader Ajay Rai mocked the Rafale fighter jets. Trivedi attacked both the Congress party and the INDIA alliance and said, "Pakistan crosses ceasefire repeatedly and attacks Indian posts from the other side of the border, but these leaders are waging an internal war, issuing anti-India statements."
He also added, "While Pakistan looks at the Indian army with fear, it is Congress and INDIA bloc leaders who are throwing an evil eye on them."
Trivedi also took strong issue with Ajay Rai’s remarks, which appeared to mock the Rafale jets by comparing them to toys and referencing the tradition of hanging chilies and lemons for protection. “This reflects the mindset of the INDIA bloc. They are not just demoralizing the armed forces but also ridiculing Hindu religious practices,” Trivedi remarked.
The row erupted after UP Congress president Ajay Rai mocked the Rafale planes on Saturday evening, asking why they were stored in hangars with chilies and lemons suspended from them, prompting a backlash from the BJP.
Trivedi, a BJP Rajya Sabha member of parliament, accused Congress and INDIA bloc leaders of making anti-India remarks that enabled Pakistan to target India and mock its army. He said Pakistani platforms were propagating such remarks to create anti-India sentiment.
This was done days after the Congress Working Committee (CWC) passed a resolution requesting its leaders to adhere to the party's positions on national security issues and warned against being frivolous when speaking.
Trivedi stressed that these remarks were not isolated, referring to quotes from prominent Congress leaders such as Congress CM Siddaramaiah, former CM Charanjit Singh Channi, and Ajay Rai. He suggested that this pattern appeared to be part of a broader model, rather than the effort of a few individuals.
"These are Congress party veteran leaders. From Siddaramaiah to Charanjit Singh Channi to Ajay Rai, they are going against Congress' own declared position on national unity," he said. "This is evidence of their duplicity, similar to Pakistan, which funds terror in Indian lands and then presents itself as a peacemaker. The Congress tactic is one and the same—claiming to be with the country while another faction of the party provokes attacks on the nation and its troops."
Trivedi also sharply differentiated the Modi government's approach to fighting terrorism from the policies of previous Congress governments. He explained that after terror attacks during UPA rule, Congress continued diplomatic talks with Pakistan, a trend given up under the NDA.
He also referred to the 26/11 terror attacks, stating further that although the Air Force was ready to retaliate, the then Manmohan Singh government refused the go-ahead.
"It was your government which handled fighter aircraft and planes like toys, not ours," Trivedi replied in a scathing retort of Congress' charges.
