BJP MP Sambit Patra on Friday launched a sharp counterattack against Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy for his controversial remarks suggesting that Rafale jets were downed during Operation Sindoor. Addressing a press conference at the BJP headquarters in New Delhi, Patra accused the Congress of demoralising Indian forces and siding with Pakistan in their rhetoric.
Slamming Revanth Reddy’s comments, Patra said, “Yeh jo Pakistan ke Babbar hain, woh Hindustan ke Gabbar hain.” He questioned why Congress leaders like Rahul Gandhi, Jairam Ramesh, and Revanth Reddy were fixated on alleged Indian losses instead of asking Pakistan how many of their airbases were destroyed or how many terrorists were eliminated.
Patra went on to accuse the Congress of harbouring two factions—one overtly sympathetic to Pakistan and another rendered voiceless by Rahul Gandhi’s dominance. “Your ‘Jai Hind Yatra’ looks like ‘Pakistan Hind Yatra’. You should stop this yatra and instead hold a joint press conference with Pakistan,” he said sarcastically.
The BJP leader also criticised Jairam Ramesh for equating Indian MPs with terrorists in his recent comments on the ongoing multi-party delegation abroad. “MPs are not on a leisure trip. They are there to present India’s case strongly on the international stage—and Congress MPs are part of that too,” he said.
Patra revisited the UPA’s past, alleging that terrorists were once entertained in the Prime Minister’s Office and accused the then-Congress leadership of prioritising terrorist sympathies over national security. He also cited satellite evidence showing the Indian Army destroyed nine terror camps during military operations, underscoring the credibility of India’s response.
The controversy erupted after Revanth Reddy questioned the effectiveness of the Rafale jets, alleging they were shot down during operations and demanding accountability from Prime Minister Modi for their procurement. Reddy accused the Modi government of favouring close allies in multi-crore defence deals and criticized the cessation of military action under alleged U.S. pressure.
Reddy also asserted that if Congress leader Rahul Gandhi were Prime Minister, India would have taken back Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, drawing inspiration from former PM Indira Gandhi’s leadership during the 1971 war.
As political rhetoric heats up over national security and foreign policy, the war of words between the BJP and Congress continues to intensify, with the Rafale row and PoK debate now at the centre of the confrontation.
