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‘Jets welcomed with nimbu-mirch’: Akhilesh's big question on Op Sindoor
Akhilesh Yadav said that the government boasts of Indian jets destroying terror infra in Pak and POK, and asked how many of India's best aircraft flew.
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Tuesday questioned the government on Operation Sindoor, over the aircraft used in the military action, a day after defence minister Rajnath Singh slammed the opposition for questioning how many jets India lost and not how many of enemy jets were shot down.
Addressing the Lok Sabha, Yadav said that the government boasts of Indian jets destroying terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, and asked, "How many of our best aircraft, that were welcomed with nimbu-mirchi, flew?"
The Samajwadi Party chief also said he was proud of the Indian Air Force, which has the "best pilots", and also heaped praise on the erstwhile Samajwadi-led government, saying they constructed roads where the landing of Air Force planes could be facilitated.
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Notably, Akhilesh Yadav's remarks come a day after Defence Minister Rajnath Singh slammed the Opposition for repeatedly raising questions about the number of aircraft downed during Op Sindoor.
“We should not be bothered if a pencil is broken or if a pen gets lost. The result is that the targets of our armed forces were fully met,” Singh had said in Lok Sabha.
“Sometimes, our opposition leaders ask: how many fighters (were downed)? I think this does not reflect India’s national emotion. The Opposition never asked how many enemy planes have been shot down by our forces,” Singh had added.
Akhilesh Yadav's remarks in Parliament came during the debate on Operation Sindoor. He asked who would take responsibility for "the intelligence lapse" in the April 22 Pahalgam attack, and called Op Sindoor, "a symbol of the government's intelligence failure".
Slamming the government, Akhilesh Yadav asserted that the fight was against China, not Pakistan. "Why are terror activities taking place regularly under the government. While Pakistan poses a threat to India, the bigger threat is from China, what is your preparation against that?" Akhilesh Yadav asked, adding he hopes to get answers to these questions when the government responds on Operation Sindoor.
Operation Sindoor, launched on May 7, was the government's response to the Pahalgam attack in which 26 civilians lost their lives. Nine terror camps in Pakistan and POK were bombed, killing at least 100 terrorists.
