NEW DELHI: The Congress on Saturday latched on to Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan's remarks in a bid to corner the Centre over alleged loss of fighter jets during the four-day conflict with Pakistan during Operation Sindoor .
In a press conference, Telangana minister and Congress leader Uttam Kumar Reddy claimed that General Chauhan confirmed that the Rafale aircraft was shot down and the government should not deny this.
"We achieved victory in four day war. But as it appears very clearly Rafale fighter aircraft were downed in the four day operations. And when Rahul Gandhiji first pointed it out just as a question to the external affairs minister it was very bizarre and strange that the ruling party functionists at all level accused him of not being patriotic," Reddy said.
"Now, today, an hour back, the Chief of Defense (CDS), General Anil Chauhan, has confirmed that Rafale aircraft were brought down in the four-day operation. I must also quote here what exactly Air Marshal Bharti, the DG Air Operation, said in the DGMO briefing. He said that losses are normal in a combat. The objectives of the whole operation have been achieved, but all the pilots have come home. We are very happy about that — that the objectives have been achieved and all the pilots have come home. But the fact that the fighter aircraft were down is something that needs to be told. The Government of India should stop denying that, now that the CDS himself has mentioned it and, indirectly, Air Marshal Bharti had mentioned it in his briefing along with the DGMO," he added.
Meanwhile, Congress leader Pawan Khera demanded "strong answers" from the Centre on "strong questions."
"Congress is continuously asking questions like when will the terrorists of Pahalgam attack get caught, who bought RDX in Pulwama, and what were the conditions for ceasefire with Pakistan?... We want strong answers to the strong questions being asked," Khera said.
"Under whose pressure was the ceasefire done? Whether justice was served to the woman who lost their husbands in Pahalgam...What were the lessons learnt from this (Operation Sindoor), and the CDS also said that it is important to learn lessons from this. Now, at least the BJP will not be able to call those who ask questions anti-national," he added.
What CDS said
Speaking to Bloomberg on losses during Operation Sindoor, CDS Chahuan rejected Pakistan's claim that 6 jets were shot down but said that during the course of the operation the Indian forces had "rectified" some "tactical mistakes."
“The good part is that we are able to understand the tactical mistake which we made, remedy it, rectify it, and then implement it again after two days and flew all our jets again, targeting at long range,” Chauhan said.
Earlier, Rahul Gandhi and Telangana chief minister Revanth Reddy asked the government on how many Rafale aircraft were shot down.
"The soldiers of this (Secunderabad ) Cantonment participated in the war. The war planes being manufactured in Telangana upheld respect for our country. Rafale aircraft brought by Narendra Modi were shot down by Pakistan. Narendra Modi should answer how many Rafale aircraft were shot down by Pakistan during the recent war. You give us the account, " Reddy had said.
Rahul had also questioned external affairs minister S Jaishankar on how many Indian aircraft were lost during the operation.
"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?" Gandhi posted on X while resharing an earlier post of himself.
He added, "This wasn’t a lapse. It was a crime. And the nation deserves the truth."
On May 17, Rahul had shared an undated video of Jaishankar where the minister is heard saying that India had warned Pakistan before launching strikes on terror infrastructure.
"Informing Pakistan at the start of our attack was a crime. EAM has publicly admitted that GOI did it." He also asked, "Who authorised it? How many aircraft did our air force lose as a result?" Gandhi wrote.
The ministry of external affairs refuted Rahul's claim, calling it a "misrepresentation of facts."
The MEA said the government had warned Pakistan in the "early phase after Operation Sindoor’s commencement" and not before it began. It clarified that Jaishankar had said, "We had warned Pakistan at the start, which is clearly the early phase after Op Sindoor’s commencement."
"This is being falsely represented as being before the commencement. This utter misrepresentation of facts is being called out," the ministry added.
Operation Sindoor was launched on May 7, targeting terror bases in Pakistan in retaliation for the deadly Pahalgam terror attack on April 22.
In a press conference, Telangana minister and Congress leader Uttam Kumar Reddy claimed that General Chauhan confirmed that the Rafale aircraft was shot down and the government should not deny this.
"We achieved victory in four day war. But as it appears very clearly Rafale fighter aircraft were downed in the four day operations. And when Rahul Gandhiji first pointed it out just as a question to the external affairs minister it was very bizarre and strange that the ruling party functionists at all level accused him of not being patriotic," Reddy said.
"Now, today, an hour back, the Chief of Defense (CDS), General Anil Chauhan, has confirmed that Rafale aircraft were brought down in the four-day operation. I must also quote here what exactly Air Marshal Bharti, the DG Air Operation, said in the DGMO briefing. He said that losses are normal in a combat. The objectives of the whole operation have been achieved, but all the pilots have come home. We are very happy about that — that the objectives have been achieved and all the pilots have come home. But the fact that the fighter aircraft were down is something that needs to be told. The Government of India should stop denying that, now that the CDS himself has mentioned it and, indirectly, Air Marshal Bharti had mentioned it in his briefing along with the DGMO," he added.
Meanwhile, Congress leader Pawan Khera demanded "strong answers" from the Centre on "strong questions."
"Congress is continuously asking questions like when will the terrorists of Pahalgam attack get caught, who bought RDX in Pulwama, and what were the conditions for ceasefire with Pakistan?... We want strong answers to the strong questions being asked," Khera said.
"Under whose pressure was the ceasefire done? Whether justice was served to the woman who lost their husbands in Pahalgam...What were the lessons learnt from this (Operation Sindoor), and the CDS also said that it is important to learn lessons from this. Now, at least the BJP will not be able to call those who ask questions anti-national," he added.
What CDS said
Speaking to Bloomberg on losses during Operation Sindoor, CDS Chahuan rejected Pakistan's claim that 6 jets were shot down but said that during the course of the operation the Indian forces had "rectified" some "tactical mistakes."
“The good part is that we are able to understand the tactical mistake which we made, remedy it, rectify it, and then implement it again after two days and flew all our jets again, targeting at long range,” Chauhan said.
Earlier, Rahul Gandhi and Telangana chief minister Revanth Reddy asked the government on how many Rafale aircraft were shot down.
"The soldiers of this (Secunderabad ) Cantonment participated in the war. The war planes being manufactured in Telangana upheld respect for our country. Rafale aircraft brought by Narendra Modi were shot down by Pakistan. Narendra Modi should answer how many Rafale aircraft were shot down by Pakistan during the recent war. You give us the account, " Reddy had said.
Rahul had also questioned external affairs minister S Jaishankar on how many Indian aircraft were lost during the operation.
"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?" Gandhi posted on X while resharing an earlier post of himself.
He added, "This wasn’t a lapse. It was a crime. And the nation deserves the truth."
On May 17, Rahul had shared an undated video of Jaishankar where the minister is heard saying that India had warned Pakistan before launching strikes on terror infrastructure.
"Informing Pakistan at the start of our attack was a crime. EAM has publicly admitted that GOI did it." He also asked, "Who authorised it? How many aircraft did our air force lose as a result?" Gandhi wrote.
The ministry of external affairs refuted Rahul's claim, calling it a "misrepresentation of facts."
The MEA said the government had warned Pakistan in the "early phase after Operation Sindoor’s commencement" and not before it began. It clarified that Jaishankar had said, "We had warned Pakistan at the start, which is clearly the early phase after Op Sindoor’s commencement."
"This is being falsely represented as being before the commencement. This utter misrepresentation of facts is being called out," the ministry added.
Operation Sindoor was launched on May 7, targeting terror bases in Pakistan in retaliation for the deadly Pahalgam terror attack on April 22.
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