'He must cease misrepresenting facts': BJP pooh-poohs Rahul's claim on Op-Sindoor

New Delhi, May 17 (IANS) The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has poo-poohed Congress MP Rahul Gandhi’s assertion while referring to External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar’s statement that India provided advance information to Pakistan regarding Operation Sindoor. Amit Malviya, who oversees the BJP's National Information & Technology Department, supported the EAM's remarks by sharing a video clip from the press briefing given by DGMO Lieutenant General Rajiv Ghai on May 11.

In the footage, the senior military official is heard stating, “Even though we did attempt to reach out and communicate our compulsions to strike at the heart of terror to my counterpart in the immediate wake of Operation Sindoor, the request was brusquely turned down, with an intimation that a severe response was inevitable and in the offing. We were, of course, prepared.”

This statement clearly aligns with S. Jaishankar’s claim that India had issued a warning to Pakistan at the outset -- that is, during the initial phase following the operation’s commencement, Malviya said.

“It is now being falsely represented as having occurred before the operation began,” he said. Rahul Gandhi must cease misrepresenting the facts.

“India knows who he truly speaks for…” Malviya said.

On Saturday, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) firmly rejected allegations of Rahul Gandhi suggesting that External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar had declared India informed Pakistan in advance.

The ministry condemned such interpretations as blatant distortions.

The MEA's external publicity division clarified that Jaishankar had stated, “We had warned Pakistan at the start, which is clearly the early phase after Operation Sindoor’s commencement.”

It further stressed: “This is being falsely represented as being before the commencement. This utter misrepresentation of facts is being called out.”

Rahul Gandhi, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led administration of alerting Pakistan to imminent strikes on terrorist positions under Operation Sindoor.

He characterised this as a grave violation and demanded transparency regarding who authorized the move.

In a post on X, Rahul Gandhi questioned the authorisation for such an action and demanded accountability regarding potential losses suffered by the Indian Air Force.

The MEA categorically refuted Gandhi’s allegations, insisting that Jaishankar's words had been misinterpreted. The ministry reiterated that India’s warning to Pakistan was issued in the early stages after the operation commenced, not before.

The MEA’s external publicity division reinforced this clarification, stating, “We warned Pakistan at the start, which is evidently within the early phase after Operation Sindoor commenced.”

The ministry condemned attempts to distort this statement into evidence of prior notification. Adding fuel to the debate, the Kerala unit of the Congress party circulated a video of Jaishankar’s remarks, calling on the central government to respond.

Meanwhile, the Press Information Bureau’s fact-checking unit intervened, dismissing the claims and asserting that Jaishankar’s statements had been misquoted.

“A social media post falsely implies from External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar’s statement that India informed Pakistan before Operation Sindoor commenced. EAM has been misquoted—he did not make this statement,” the unit stated.

--IANS

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