Congress Repeating Balakot Blunder? Kharge, Rahul’s Operation Sindoor Remarks Trigger Turmoil
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The BJP now has an issue to capitalise on, but several Congress leaders, who plan to contest elections in 2025 and 2026, are dismayed and confused.
While the BJP is keen to maintain pressure on the Congress, the hasty remarks by Kharge and Rahul Gandhi are damaging the political prospects of those aiming to contest future elections. (Image: PTI)
Two senior Congress leaders made critical comments, creating a narrative that could potentially harm the party once again. Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge repeated his earlier accusation that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was aware of an intelligence input regarding a possible terror attack in Kashmir and had cancelled his trip. He blamed the PM and the government for the deaths of 26 tourists in Pahalgam. In Bengaluru, the Congress President took it a step further by referring to Operation Sindoor as a “small war,” echoing Pakistan’s stance that it was not a war against them and that India suffered more.
Congress MP Rahul Gandhi, too, criticised the PM and the government, questioning how many planes were shot down by the Pakistanis. Adding to this, Pawan Khera accused External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar of being a “sindoor ka saudagar” and a “mukhbir” or mole for Pakistan.
The BJP now has an issue to capitalise on, but several Congress leaders, who plan to contest elections in 2025 and 2026, are dismayed and confused. Following the Balakot airstrikes, when many Congress leaders questioned and demanded proof, these leaders warned the top brass that this was detrimental. It harmed the party in the polls and would continue to do so.
One senior leader present at the meeting called by Kharge on Operation Sindoor raised this issue, welcoming the Congress’s staunch support for the government. However, it seems this was premature.
The Congress top leadership aims to retaliate. In 2014, the BJP gained power by portraying the UPA as being weak on terror and the then PM Manmohan Singh as ineffective. Now, the Congress wants to project the current government and PM similarly.
Unfortunately, this strategy is not succeeding. Rahul Gandhi has made similar mistakes in the past. For instance, in 2021, he accused the PM of leaking operational details of the Balakot strikes to a journalist, asking if there was a WhatsApp group. During a discussion on China, Rahul Gandhi misquoted the Army Chief, claiming that India lost territory.
These comments have previously hurt the Congress. While the BJP is keen to maintain pressure on the Congress, the hasty remarks by Kharge and Rahul Gandhi are damaging the political prospects of those aiming to contest future elections.
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