WEB DESK / New Delhi
A political storm erupted on Saturday after US President Donald Trump claimed that five fighter jets were shot down during a high-tension standoff between India and Pakistan, reviving his controversial assertions about mediating peace between the two nuclear-armed neighbours.
The latest claim has prompted strong reactions from Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and other opposition voices, while the ruling BJP hit back sharply.
In a recent address at a private Republican fundraising event, Trump once again claimed credit for preventing a full-scale war between India and Pakistan. “They were going at it. Planes were being shot out of the sky — five, five, four or five. I think five jets were shot down, actually,” Trump said, without providing any evidence or clarifying timelines.
Sharing a clip of the remarks on social media platform X (formerly Twitter), Rahul Gandhi directly questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s continued silence on the matter. “Modi ji, what is the truth about the 5 jets? The nation has a right to know!” Gandhi posted, signaling a demand for transparency over international claims involving India’s defense and diplomatic posture.
Former Union Finance Minister and senior Congress leader P. Chidambaram also expressed concern over the government’s lack of response. “After President Trump’s latest statement, what does the Government of India have to say? Silence is no answer,” Chidambaram wrote, adding that without official clarification, the public is left to speculate about the outcome of what Trump referred to as a “five-day war.”
He continued, “I would like to believe the Indian government, but if it does not clarify or acknowledge the facts, what are citizens expected to believe?”
The BJP, however, launched a scathing rebuttal. Amit Malviya, head of the BJP’s IT Cell, accused Rahul Gandhi of irresponsibly echoing narratives that could harm India’s image globally. In his response on X, Malviya wrote, “Rahul Gandhi’s mindset is that of a traitor,” accusing him of amplifying a foreign leader’s vague claims without context.
He further argued that Trump never specified whose aircraft were allegedly downed, and questioned why Gandhi seemed to assume they were Indian. “Why not assume they were Pakistan’s? Does Rahul have more sympathy for Pakistan than for his own country?” Malviya asked.
Escalating his rhetoric, Malviya alleged that the Congress party often finds itself on the opposing side whenever the Indian military asserts its strength. “Whenever the Indian Army teaches the enemy a lesson, Congress gets disturbed. Anti-India sentiment has become their identity,” he added. He ended with a loaded remark aimed at Rahul Gandhi: “Tell us — are you Indian or Pakistan’s spokesperson?”
The exchange highlights a deepening divide between the ruling BJP and the Congress-led opposition, particularly on issues of national security and foreign policy. Trump’s repeated references to the India-Pakistan conflict have long been viewed with skepticism in New Delhi, which maintains that no third-party mediation is required in bilateral matters with Islamabad.