During the debate on Operation Sindoor in the Lok Sabha on July 28, BJP MP Anurag Thakur launched a fierce attack on Congress MP and Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi, alleging that India fought a “two-and-a-half front war”, with the “half front” being what he described as the “Rahul-Occupied Congress”.
Thakur said the “half front” was represented by the Rahul-led Congress, accusing it of launching repeated attacks against the Prime Minister and the Indian Army through derogatory social media content. He alleged that in the last two months, the Congress party under Rahul Gandhi had circulated insulting cartoons and made disparaging remarks, including calling the Army Chief a “roadside goon”. Thakur demanded that Rahul Gandhi apologise to the country and the Indian Army.
He intensified his attack by calling Rahul Gandhi the “poster boy” of Pakistani propaganda, stating that the Congress leader had failed to secure enough votes twice to even become the Leader of the Opposition, and had now become the “Leader Opposing Bharat”. According to Thakur, opposing India and the Prime Minister had become Rahul Gandhi’s agenda.
Thakur claimed that Rahul Gandhi may not have become the poster boy of the Congress but had certainly become the poster boy of Pakistan’s propaganda.
#WATCH | During the discussion on Operation Sindoor in the House, BJP MP Anurag Thakur says, "Of all the opposition MPs who have spoken here till now, not even one MP has stood up and said that in this terrorist attack, people were asked about his religion and asked to recite… pic.twitter.com/8KsdeQ9ZzL
— ANI (@ANI) July 28, 2025
He also referred to recent remarks made by Congress MP P Chidambaram, accusing the party of undermining the credibility of India’s intelligence agencies. Thakur said that instead of engaging in a constructive discussion on Operation Sindoor, Congress leaders were competing to appear as Pakistan’s closest allies. Citing Chidambaram’s interview, Thakur pointed out that the former Home Minister had questioned whether terrorists had come from Pakistan if there was no clear evidence of Pakistani involvement. Thakur linked this to a pattern where Congress, at times, accused others of Hindu terrorism and appeared to defend Pakistan.
Thakur alleged that the Congress had effectively become an ally of Pakistan, with its leaders defending Pakistan even before the Pakistani army or government issued statements. He described Congress leaders as “brothers of Lashkar-e-Rahul”, claiming that while the party is officially named the Indian National Congress, its actions resembled what he called the “Islamabad National Congress”.
He criticised the opposition benches for their lack of response during Defence Minister Rajnath Singh’s statement on Operation Sindoor. According to Thakur, none of the opposition MPs acknowledged the details of the Pahalgam terror attack, in which people were asked their religion, forced to recite Kalma, stripped, and then killed. He questioned why no opposition MP had spoken about this aspect of the attack.
Thakur further noted the silence of the opposition during the Defence Minister’s presentation on the Indian Army’s achievements, pointing out that there was no applause or table-thumping in appreciation.
The Lok Sabha began the discussion on Monday afternoon on “India’s strong, successful and decisive Operation Sindoor”, launched in response to the recent terrorist attack in Pahalgam. The debate was initiated by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.
