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Revanth Reddy asks PM Modi: ‘How many Rafale jets shot down’ by Pakistan; BJP says ‘stick to Miss World photo ops’
Telangana CM Revanth Reddy faces backlash for questioning PM Modi on Rafale jets shot down by Pakistan during Operation Sindoor.
Telangana chief minister A Revanth Reddy has sparked major political backlash after demanding that Prime Minister Narendra Modi explain to 140 crore Indians how many Rafale fighter jets were shot down by the Pakistani Army during India's Operation Sindoor.
The Bharatiya Janata Party on Friday lashed out at Revanth Reddy, who was speaking at a rally in Hyderabad on Thursday, and the Congress for questioning the Indian armed forces. Taking a dig at the Telangana chief minister, the BJP advised him to “stick to Miss World photo ops”, instead of speaking on national security.
In a strong retaliation to the brutal killing of Indian civilians in Pahalgam on April 22, India launched Operation Sindoor — a large-scale military offensive targeting terror camps deep within Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). Over 100 terrorists were eliminated in the strikes.
Addressing the 'Jai Hind' rally, Revanth Reddy sought to know why PM Narendra Modi, who had called for an all-party meeting before going to war with Pakistan, did not do so before calling off the armed conflict with the neighbouring country.
Also Read | ‘Babbar of Pakistan’: BJP doubles down on Revanth Reddy over Rafale jets question
He also alleged that Modi failed to separate Balochistan from Pakistan and take control over Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), despite the wishes of 140 crore Indians.
“The soldiers of this (Secunderabad ) Cantonment participated in the war. The war planes being manufactured in Telangana upheld respect for our country. Rafale aircraft brought by Narendra Modi were shot down by Pakistan. There is no discussion on how many Rafales were shot down. Narendra Modi should answer how many Rafale aircraft were shot down by Pakistan during the recent war. You give us the account,” news agency PTI quoted Reddy as saying.
Also Read | 'Operation Sindoor' not over yet, we have hit Pakistan thrice inside its home: PM Modi
Reddy further alleged that contracts worth thousands of crores were awarded to people close to Modi, who then purchased Rafale aircraft.
Reddy said senior Congress leaders Mallikarjun Kharge, Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and Meenakshi Natarajan said only one thing: when it comes to national security, irrespective of political lines, everyone should come together. Accordingly, they assured the NDA government that it would stand by it during the fight with Pakistan.
"After four days of war, we do not know who threatened whom and who succumbed to whom. All of a sudden, US President Donald Trump came out and said he threatened India and stopped the war," the CM said.
He also accused China of encroaching 4000 sq km of Indian territory even as PM Modi failed to give a befitting reply to the neighbour.
Reddy said former PM Indira Gandhi defeated China in 1967 and sent out a message to the world that if anybody messed with India, they would be taught a lesson.
He further said, despite threats by the then US government, Indira Gandhi did not go back on the Indo-Pak war in 1971 and went on creating Bangladesh by separating it from Pakistan.
BJP hits back
The Telangana unit of the BJP launched a scathing attack on Revanth Reddy, accusing him of echoing Pakistan’s stance on key defence issues.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), BJP Telangana claimed that Reddy went beyond just questioning national security operations, alleging that he referred to Pakistan as “Mana Pakistan” (Our Pakistan) — a comment the party says aligns with Pakistan’s narrative.
“From questioning Surgical Strikes and Balakot to mocking our armed forces and opposing Agnipath — standing against India is in Congress’s DNA,” the BJP posted, adding, “Stick to Miss World photo ops, Revanth. National security isn’t your ramp. When the nation wins, Congress sulks."
