New Delhi, Oct 6 Union Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju on Monday hit out at the Congress and other Opposition parties for "attacking" Indian armed forces and repeatedly doubting their capability and asserted that such 'negative' approach would never gain people's trust. He termed their conduct "unfortunate" and said that they can never be trusted with power by the people of the country.
His remarks came in response to Uttar Pradesh Congress chief Ajay Rai casting doubts over government and the armed forces' statements, regarding the success of Operation Sindoor.
The Indian Air Force Chief Air Chief Marshal A.P. Singh recently revealed for the first time that Indian forces shot down US and Chinese-made fighter jets in Pakistan, during the four-day military operation in May.
Reacting sharply to Ajay Rai's comments, Rijiju, in an interview with IANS, said, "It is unfortunate that whenever our top Army officials respond to Pakistan, Congress and opposition leaders attack our armed forces even before Pakistan does. Can you imagine such a situation?"
He said that while Pakistan resorts to lies and misinformation, India's armed forces respond with strength and integrity; however, the Opposition chooses to 'align' with them and keeps questioning own military operations.
"When Pakistan lies, our Air Force, Army, and Navy give a fitting reply. But before Pakistan can even counter, Congress starts targeting our soldiers. Our forces stand strong to defend the nation, yet they face criticism from within. Nothing can be more unfortunate than this," Rijiju said.
The Union Minister added that while political parties are free to question the government, attacking the armed forces amounts to crossing the line.
"It was acceptable when Congress and a few other Opposition parties questioned the government, but now they are speaking against the nation itself. The people of our country are wise; they know that parties that speak against our armed forces and echo Pakistan's language harm the nation. Such parties will never be given a place in power by the citizens of India," he added.
Rai's comments drew heavy criticism from the BJP, which accused him of "undermining" the soldiers and casting aspersions on the military's integrity.
Earlier, Rai had told IANS, "The CDS says something, the Army Chief says something else, and different officers give different statements. This clearly indicates that there is something fishy. The truth and the reality should be brought before the country openly, and the whole matter should be clarified by PM Modi."
The BJP has since accused Congress of "demoralising" the armed forces and playing into the hands of India's adversaries through its statements.
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