NEW DELHI: The Congress on Friday launched a scathing assault on the BJP-led central authorities over its dealing with of international affairs within the wake of Operation Sindoor, accusing it of diplomatic failure and a compromised stance on nationwide safety.Congress chief Pawan Khera stated, “The result of our failed foreign policy was seen post-Pahalgam, during Operation Sindoor. No country called Pakistan a terrorist state; this is the result of your failed foreign policy. Then you launched Operation Sindoor and no country gave a statement in your favour. Now, after Operation Sindoor, Kuwait has lifted visa restrictions on Pakistan. Iran, UAE, and Gulf countries are signing MoUs with Pakistan, and the most shocking thing is that yesterday, Russia signed an MoU with Pakistan to revive its very old steel mill, under which Pakistan will get $2.6 billion from Russia... This is the result of your failed foreign policy…”Meanwhile, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, a part of an all-party delegation to Colombia, expressed disappointment over the Colombian authorities’s condolences for these killed in Pakistan after India’s May 7 counterstrike, saying, “There can be no equivalence between those who attack and those who defend.” He stated India acted in self-defence following the April 22 Pahalgam terror assault. “We were only exercising our right of self-defence,” he added.Tharoor additionally highlighted Pakistan’s help for terrorists and confirmed photographs of uniformed Pakistani officers attending terrorist funerals. “That is the extent of complicity…,” he stated, stressing India’s resolve by Operation Sindoor focusing on terror bases in Pakistan and PoK. The opposition’s criticism comes amid a collection of political confrontations following Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s public tackle in Gujarat, the place he stated Operation Sindoor was documented on digicam to make sure “no one at home asks for proof.”Also learn: ‘Iss baar digicam ke samne kiya’: PM Modi takes ‘proof’ jibe at opposition; Congress hits againPM Modi declared, “Until now, what we used to call a proxy war, after the scenes witnessed post-May 6, we can no longer make the mistake of calling it a proxy war.” He added that the terrorists focused within the strikes got navy honours in Pakistan, indicating direct state involvement.Responding to the Prime Minister’s remarks, Congress questioned why prime terrorists like Hafiz Saeed and Masood Azhar weren’t neutralised.“To date, we have not received an answer to that – What happened to the terrorists of Poonch, Ganderbal, Gulmarg and Pahalgam?… How did Hafiz Saeed and Masood Azhar escape?” requested Khera, additional alleging that “this government has outsourced the entire politics, political discourse, foreign policy to trolls.”Earlier, Rahul Gandhi additionally accused the Centre of tipping off Pakistan earlier than the strikes. Sharing an previous video of exterior affairs minister S Jaishankar, Gandhi wrote on May 17, “Informing Pakistan at the start of our attack was a crime. EAM has publicly admitted that GOI did it.”He adopted up on May 27 with one other put up asking, “How many Indian aircraft did we lose because Pakistan knew?”The ministry of exterior affairs (MEA) denied Gandhi’s claims, calling them a “misrepresentation of facts.” The ministry clarified that Pakistan was warned “in the early phase after Operation Sindoor’s commencement,” not earlier than the operation started.The controversy was additional fuelled by US President Donald Trump’s feedback, referenced by Congress, that he had mediated ceasefire talks between India and Pakistan. Khera described this as “a very dangerous comment,” and said, “sindoor ka sauda hota raha aur pradhan mantri chup rahe,” implying secret negotiations during the operation.Also learn: Congress takes ‘sindoor ka sauda’ swipe at PM Modi, brings up Trump’s mediation declare
