Guwahati: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday accused Congress leader Rahul Gandhi of being more concerned about Pakistan than India.
Sarma said Gandhi's 'Narender-Surrender' jibe was an insult to the country's armed forces, who conducted 'Operation Sindoor'.
He also indirectly criticised state Congress chief Gaurav Gogoi, suggesting that his recent appointment as the opposition party's president in Assam was hyped as if he had become the country's president.
Addressing a press conference at the BJP state office, Sarma said, "The Congress is asking how much damage India has incurred (in Operation Sindoor). There might have been losses, but the war situation is still going on. We should question how much damage we have inflicted on Pakistan." "It shows that Rahul Gandhi is more concerned about Pakistan.so that if India says our one jet was destroyed, it can be flashed on Pakistani television," he claimed.
Sarma said if Gandhi had asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi about damages caused to Pakistan, he would have told him how 70 terrorists were killed and eight airports destroyed.
He maintained that Gandhi, through his 'Narender-Surrender' criticism, was actually implying 'Indian army surrender' as it was the armed personnel who had flown the jets and not Modi.
The Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha had last week alleged that Modi surrendered after a call from US President Donald Trump during the India-Pakistan military conflict, a statement attracting sharp reactions from the ruling party.
"Rahul Gandhi's role in Operation Sindoor has been criticised by all serving and former personnel, all patriotic people," he added.
Sarma alleged that the Congress has for years "damaged the Northeast" and said India should have claimed Bangladesh after winning the war.
Taking a swipe at Gogoi without naming him, the chief minister said, "The state Congress president has to be pro-Pakistani as the Congress is pro-Pakistan, Rahul Gandhi is pro-Pakistan." "When this person became the state Congress president, I almost wondered that has he become the Indian president," Sarma added sarcastically, implying the 'hype' around naming of Gogoi as the head of the state's main opposition party.
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