"Careless statement" : BJP's Gaurav Bhatia rebuts Rahul Gandhi's 'aircraft loss' remark

New Delhi [India], May 23 (ANI): Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Gaurav Bhatia on Friday criticised Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi for his remarks on Indian Air Force (IAF) aircraft during the ongoing Operation Sindoor, calling his statements careless and damaging to the morale of the armed forces.
Addressing a news conference, Bhatia said, "When Operation Sindoor is going on, Rahul Gandhi is giving careless statements. He is asking how many IAF jets are down. On May 11, during a press briefing, Air Marshal Bharti said, 'We are in a combat scenario, it is not prudent for us to answer that question'... Rahul Gandhi seems to be busy in conversations with Pakistan on how to weaken Indian and the morale of the forces..."
He further added," Today, a senior leader of Pakistan, Mariam Nawaz, gave a statement that on the night of May 6 and 7, and on May 9, Pakistan had to face a huge loss because of India's action... At such a time, what is LoP and 'Nishan E Pakistan' Rahul Gandhi saying?"
Lok Sabha LoP Rahul Gandhi had questioned External Affairs Minister Jaishankar accusing him of being silent on how many aircraft the Indian Air Force lost during Operation Sindoor and said that the nation "deserves the truth."

"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? This wasn't a lapse. It was a crime. And the nation deserves the truth," Rahul Gandhi posted on X.
Rahul Gandhi had earlier shared a video of EAM Jaishankar of May 17 in which he said that "At the start of the operation we have sent a message to Pakistan saying we are striking at infrastructure and we are not striking at the military, so military has the option of standing out and not interfering in this process. They chose not to take good advice."
Rahul Gandhi in his post on X, alleged wrongdoing by the government, stating: "Informing Pakistan at the start of our attack was a crime. EAM has publicly admitted that the GOI did it. Who authorised it? How many aircraft did our air force lose as a result?" (ANI)