Congress leaders are ‘poster boys’ of Pakistan: BJP

“Your press conferences are a hit in Pakistan; you are the heroes in Pakistan,” BJP National spokesperson Sambit Patra said. File
| Photo Credit: The Hindu

The BJP on Tuesday (May 20, 2025) said Congress leaders, including Leader of the Opposition (Lok Sabha) Rahul Gandhi, had become “poster boys” of Pakistan.

Responding to Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge’s remarks about “Operation Sindoor” being a “small war”, BJP MP and spokesperson Sambit Patra told the media that the Congress leaders, including Mr. Kharge and Mr. Gandhi, were giving “oxygen” to Pakistan in its attempt to build a narrative against India.

“Kharge Ji is saying that Operation Sindoor is a small war…don’t Rahul Gandhi and Kharge Ji realise that our defence forces entered Pakistan, flattened nine terror bases, and that over 100 terrorists were eliminated? Following retaliation from Pakistan, their 11 airbases were also destroyed…and you are saying that Operation Sindoor was a ‘small war’? This is a betrayal of the country and the indomitable valour of our defence forces,” said the BJP leader.

“Rahul Ji has been asking for proof for the last two days. The fact is that from day one, digital evidence has been given. The whole world and Pakistan itself have shown proof …despite all this, you are asking for proof of the bravery of our defence forces. This is the reason why Rahul Gandhi and his leaders have turned into poster boys of Pakistan…,” he said.

“Your press conferences are a hit in Pakistan; you are the heroes in Pakistan. Even when Operation Sindoor was underway, Pakistan’s DGMO (Director General of Military Operations), at a press conference, had shown your remarks to claim that whatever Pakistan was saying was correct, and that India was not telling the truth,” said Mr. Patra.

Claiming that Lashkar-e-Taiba chief Hafiz Saeed, during an interview, had once praised the Congress, the BJP leader said, “Hafiz Saeed likes Rahul Gandhi”.

Through an X post, BJP IT Cell head Amit Malviya said, “It is not surprising that Rahul Gandhi is speaking the language of Pakistan and its benefactors. He hasn’t congratulated the Prime Minister on the flawless Operation Sindoor, which unmistakably showcases India’s dominance.”

“Instead, he repeatedly asks how many jets we lost — a question that has already been addressed in the DGMO briefings. Curiously, he hasn’t once inquired about how many Pakistani jets were shot down during the conflict, or how many were destroyed while parked in their hangars when Indian forces pounded Pakistani airbases. What’s next for Rahul Gandhi? The Nishan-e-Pakistan?,” he said in the post, to which a morphed composite image — having half the face of Mr. Gandhi and the other half of apparently Pakistan Army chief Asim Munir — was attached.