“Many in the Opposition are patriots and stand united with the Govt. of India at times of war … Only a few are provocative and make anti-India statements due to their political compulsions or narrow politics,” he said. The problem with the Congress, however, was that the party, by and large, did not believe in patriotism, and its politics was one of appeasement, Rajeev Chandrasekhar added.
“People are saying that now Shashi Tharoor is joining your party, but I have no such news,” said the former MoS. “Congress is so involved in politics that if someone talks about patriotism, it has a problem.”
Moreover, the Kerala BJP chief dismissed a demand by the Congress for a special parliamentary session on Operation Sindoor and the role of US President Donald Trump in brokering a ceasefire with Pakistan.
Blaming the Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition, Rahul Gandhi, for playing appeasement politics even after India had shown Pakistan its capabilities, Rajeev Chandrasekhar said, “Rahul Gandhi does not attend Parliament sessions regularly. Now, he calls for a special session for a debate when the entire country is united and celebrating.”
‘Congress is known for using terror acts for politics’
The military briefing by top commanders of the armed forces, as well as Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s speech to the nation, made it clear that Pakistan’s Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) had called and decided on a ceasefire with his Indian counterpart, Rajeev Chandrasekhar said, adding that everyone, except the Congress, knew that to be true.
Rajeev Chandrasekhar also attacked Congress for questions on Trump’s role. The US President had claimed credit for the India-Pakistan ceasefire after first breaking the news on social media.
“Congress does politics after every terror act. In 2019, it said the BJP did the Pulwama attack. In 2008, it said the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, not Pakistani terrorists, did the 26/11 Mumbai attack. At the time of the Batla House encounter, Sonia Gandhi said, ‘These are innocent people, not terrorists’. It is a tradition of the Congress,” Chandrasekhar said.
In a continuation of his criticism of Rahul Gandhi, Rajeev Chandrasekhar also said, “He demands many things. However, he does not show up for sessions or important debates, or turns up in a tight T-shirt. So, his demands do not have credibility. One has to earn credibility, but Rahul Gandhi has not done that to date.”
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‘Army’s capabilities grew multi-fold under Modi’
Rajeev Chandrasekhar lauded Modi’s leadership and the Army’s valour during the India-Pakistan escalations.
“In 10 years under the leadership of Modi, the Army’s capabilities have grown multi-fold and multi-dimensional, as illustrated by our defensive and offensive actions, of late. India is now at par with the US, Russia, and China,” Rajeev Chandrasekhar said.
As proof of defensive capabilities, he said, not a single Pakistani drone or missile could enter and hit India. On India’s offensive capabilities, Chandrasekhar said, “We hit 11 airfields of the Pakistan air force with such precision that the country could not detect or stop our attack … It was a message to Pakistan and nations that support it.”
Commenting on the BJP or Right-wing sympathisers, who have been angry about an early ceasefire, the BJP leader said, “India believes in peace. The Prime Minister rightly said, ‘This is not the time for war and also not the time for terror.’ India believes in co-existence.”
Claiming that India has successfully struck terror camps in Pakistan with precision, killing 100 terrorists, Rajeev Chandrasekhar added, “War is not like playing a video game. It has a cost, the lives of people. But, if anybody forces war on us, we will retaliate, the PM has conveyed.”
Minister’s ‘cheap’ remark & an ‘organic’ boycott
When asked about the BJP Madhya Pradesh minister Vijay Shah calling Colonel Sofia Qureshi the “sister of terrorists”, Rajeev Chandrasekhar said, “I am the son of an air force officer, and my first and last identity is Indian. I am proud of it. Uniformed officers consider themselves Indians first, and their religion or faith does not matter to them.”
Shah’s comment shows “a cheap mindset”, and many people, including J.P. Nadda, have called him out, Chandrasekhar added.
He also called the Turkey boycott “a call of the people”. “There is no debate on this issue. When we spend our hard-earned money on some economy, why would we choose an economy that helps our enemies? The momentum that ‘Boycott Turkey’ has gained is very organic.”
“In Kerala, college students are boycotting Turkish products and airlines, and not visiting Turkey. Why will people not visit friendly countries that agree with our values—Sri Lanka, Thailand, Indonesia, Nepal, Japan, Korea, America, or Europe—instead?”
(Edited by Madhurita Goswami)
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