Rahul slams ‘Narendra’s surrender’ as Amit Shah plays anti-Muslim politics

KARACHI: India’s Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi launched a scathing attack on Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday, accusing him of “ surrendering” under pressure from US President Donald Trump during India’s Operation Sindoor.

Gandhi made these remarks during the Congress party’s organisational revitalisation campaign in Bhopal, mocking Modi’s response to international pressure during the operation, implying that a mere phone call from Trump had led to India backing off. “Trump gave just a signal, picked up the phone and said, ‘Modi ji, what are you doing? Narendra, surrender.’ Saying ‘Yes, sir’, Narendra Modi obeyed Trump’s signal”, he said, contrasting the current leadership’s response with that of former Indian prime minister Indira Gandhi during the 1971 war. “That’s character”, he said. “Gandhi ji, Nehru, Sardar Patel — they stood up to superpowers. These people just fold.”

Gandhi also took aim at dysfunction within his own party, warning against “lame horses” and urging for unity and clarity of purpose. Highlighting the BJP’s recent decision to conduct a caste census as an example of bowing to pressure, Gandhi accused the government of lacking conviction and giving in too easily to both internal and external forces.

The opposition’s offensive has come amid growing criticism of Operation Sindoor, which — shrouded in secrecy and marked by conflicting reports — has become a political flashpoint.

In West Bengal, Home Minister Amit Shah escalated tensions further by accusing Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee of opposing the operation for political gain. At a BJP state meeting in Kolkata over the past weekend, Shah alleged that Banerjee’s objections were rooted in appeasement politics.

“To appease the Muslim vote bank, Mamata didi opposed Operation Sindoor. She has insulted the mothers and sisters of this country”, Shah said.

Shah went on to claim that Banerjee’s administration had supported terrorism and lawlessness, calling the recent Murshidabad violence “state-sponsored”. He alleged that the TMC government ignored repeated Union Home Ministry requests to deploy the Border Security Force (BSF) to control the unrest.

“These elections are not just about Bengal,” Shah declared, pointing to the 2026 state polls. “They are about national security. Mamata has opened the borders for infiltrators to protect her nephew’s future in power.”

Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress hit back forcefully. Senior TMC leader Chandrima Bhattacharya labelled Shah’s remarks as diversionary and hypocritical. “Who guards the international border? The BSF, which falls under Shah’s Home Ministry. If infiltration has increased, that’s a failure of the Centre, not the state”, she said. TMC MP Sagarika Ghose echoed this, condemning Shah’s “cheap language” and calling his rhetoric irresponsible at a time when national unity is crucial. The Congress party has also waded in to defend Banerjee, senior leader Rashid Alvi saying that national borders are the central government’s domain. “If people are entering illegally, it is Modi’s government that has failed”, Alvi said. On the government’s claim of deporting 2,000 Bangladeshis after Operation Sindoor, he said the number was too small to demonstrate effective action.

Alvi also defended Rahul Gandhi’s demand for transparency regarding reported aircraft losses during the operation, referencing remarks by army and air force officials. “The public deserves to know what really happened. Why is the government hiding it?” he said.

Meanwhile, India’s Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan attempted to shift the narrative back to military success. Speaking at a lecture in Pune on Tuesday, General Chauhan downplayed the importance of Indian losses during Operation Sindoor. “When I was asked about losses, I said these are not important. The results and how you act are”, Chauhan said, likening the operation to a Test cricket victory by an innings. A few days back, Chauhan had spoken with Bloomberg and confirmed that Indian Air Force jets had been downed early in the operation but had not given the exact number and had also emphasised that tactical mistakes had been corrected within days. “Based on technical parameters, we will soon share data on what was destroyed on the Pakistani side -- how many aircraft, radars, etc”, Chauhan added.