Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha addressed the Lower House of Parliament durign debate on Operation Sindoor and Pahalgam terror attack on Tuesday and claimed that Indian aircraft were lost during Operation Sindoor because of constraints imposed by the political leadership.
"You went into Pakistan, and you told our pilots not to attack their air defence. It was inevitable that the aircraft would be downed. You tied the hands of our pilots," Rahul said.
Emphasising that the government lacked 'Political Will' to give a befitting reply to Pakistan, he said, "There are two words - 'Political Will' and 'Freedom of Operation'. If you want to utilise the Indian Armed Forces, you need to have 100% political will and full freedom of operation. Yesterday, Rajnath Singh compared 1971 and Sindoor. I would like to remind him that there was political will in 1971. The Seventh Fleet was approaching India through the Indian Ocean. The then PM said we will have to do whatever we have to for Bangladesh, come wherever you have to... Indira Gandhi told General Manekshaw: take 6 months, 1 year, whatever time you need because you should have freedom of action, of manoeuvre. One lakh Pakistani soldiers surrendered and a new country was formed," he said.
Rahul Gandhi began his speech by holding Pakistan accountable for the Pahalgam terror attack that claimed 26 civilian lives.
"A brutal attack (Pahalgam), a heartless attack organised and orchestrated clearly by the Pakistani State. Young people, old people were murdered in cold blood, mercilessly. We have, together - every single person in this House - condemned Pakistan," he said.
