BJP Shreds Rahul Gandhi After Air Force Chief's "Full Freedom" Remark

With Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh rejecting the Opposition's charge that 'Air Force's hands were tied' during Operation Sindoor, the BJP has launched a scathing attack on senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, accusing him of lying and damaging India's reputation.

Addressing the Parliament during the Operation Sindoor debate, Mr Gandhi, Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha, had alleged that the Centre had asked the Indian Air Force not to attack Pakistan's air defence system. "You told our pilots, go and attack and face the air defence system of Pakistan. Meaning, you tied their hands behind their back," he had said.

In his address yesterday, the Air Force Chief said political will was one of the key reasons for the success of Operation Sindoor, launched to avenge the cold-blooded murder of 26 innocents in a terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam. "I am being very, very candid here, very open here, because I hear various versions of it. I think, if I tell you something, people will have to believe. Because I was there listening to everybody, attending every meeting. There was very clear political will, very clear directions, which were given to us. And there were no kind of restrictions which were put on us," the Air Force Chief said in a lecture yesterday, during which he also confirmed that six Pakistani aircraft were downed during the operation.

"Many people have spoken somewhere. Unfortunately, you know, everybody is speaking about it. So, there have been talks about: Was there any restriction? Were you kept constrained? If there were any constraints, they were self-made. We, the forces, decided what will be our rules of engagement. We, the forces, decided what will be the escalation ladder that we want to ride on. We decided how we want to control the escalation. So, I want to make it very clear, there were no, I repeat, no restrictions on us. Full freedom was given to us to plan and execute," Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh said.

The Air Force Chief's remarks prompted the BJP to launch a scathing attack on Mr Gandhi.

I request Rahul Gandhi ji to maintain the decorum of India's Parliament. Why do you keep lying all the time?
I have witnessed many Leaders of Opposition who had maintained Parliamentary standards. You have not only lowered your stature but damaged India's high reputation! pic.twitter.com/TwVQEnKX9q

— Kiren Rijiju (@KirenRijiju) August 9, 2025

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju urged Mr Gandhi to maintain the decorum of the Parliament. "Why do you keep lying all the time? I have witnessed many Leaders of Opposition who had maintained Parliamentary standards. You have not only lowered your stature but damaged India's high reputation," he said.

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said the Air Chief Marshal's remarks should "put the Congress party to shame".

"First, their leaders peddled lies on India's losses whereas we now have quantifiable, detailed and irrefutable proof on the wrath inflicted upon the enemy. Second, they ran another Pak-originated disinfo campaign claiming the Modi Govt put restrictions on the operational capability of our forces. This, too, has been debunked comprehensively," he said.

Mr Gandhi had claimed that India lost fighter aircraft because the government did not give a free hand to the forces.

Following the Air Force Chief's remarks, senior BJP leader Amit Malviya said there is a "deathly silence" in the Congress and Pakistan media. "With this disclosure, whatever little credibility the Leader of Opposition had is now in tatters, if he had any to begin with," he said.