Nehru-Gandhi family surrendered Indian interests, Rahul insulting armed forces: BJP

New Delhi: The BJP on Wednesday accused Rahul Gandhi of insulting the armed forces with his "surrender" barb at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying that it amounted to undermining the success of Operation Sindoor and making an allegation favouring Pakistan that even the neighbouring country has not made.

Gandhi's jibes reflect a "sick and dangerous" mindset, BJP national spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi said and claimed the Congress leader had surpassed even Pakistan's army chief, prime minister and the terrorist masterminds based there in speaking in support of their country.

Citing a string of historical developments on the Congress watch, from India's division to China and Pakistan occupying parts of Indian territory to Gandhi himself lamenting the Western indifference to the alleged democratic slide in India under Modi, he said history is full of such surrenders from the Nehru-Gandhi family and lauded Prime Minister Modi as the "lion of mother India".

"Rahul Gandhi and the Congress may have a history of surrender but Bharat will never surrender before anyone," Trivedi said.

He also took a clear swipe at US President Donald Trump, whose repeated claims of mediating the stoppage of military actions from India and Pakistan have given the opposition a handle to attack the Modi government.

The BJP spokesperson referred to Trump's recent post about a conspiracy theory that his predecessor Joe Biden was killed in 2020 and replaced by a robotic clone.

"How much can one trust ... I want to ask even the US government as he made the comment on his official Truth Social handle. It will be better if Rahul Gandhi tells us if he believes in this," he said, noting that the Indian armed forces and the Ministry of External Affairs have clarified numerous times that there was no third party mediation.

He also mentioned how during the presidential campaign, Trump had said that he once told Modi he can "stop the country (Pakistan) which has been annoying India but the Indian prime minister insisted, 'No, no, we have taught them lessons several times. I will do it'".

Trivedi noted controversial comments of various leaders of the opposition INDIA bloc, which met on Tuesday and demanded a special session of Parliament following Operation Sindoor, and claimed the alliance has been unmasked.

"INDIA is in their name but Pakistan is in their heart," he alleged.

He said Gandhi's comments have shown that he lacked the maturity and seriousness expected of the Leader of Opposition.

If the Congress leader made these remarks on his own, then it raises a serious question over his loyalty, he said, adding that Gandhi should consider changing advisers if they were behind it.

Gandhi had on Tuesday alleged at a Congress event in Bhopal that Modi surrendered after a call from US President Trump during the India-Pakistan military conflict.

"A call came from Trump and Narendra ji immediately surrendered - history is a witness, this is the character of BJP-RSS, they always bow down," the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha had said.

Hitting back, the BJP said that "from Doklam to Pahalgam", Gandhi "chose to stand with forces opposed to India’s political and economic resurgence".

Trivedi said Gandhi was already making headlines in Pakistani media and its parliament, and is now saying something even Pakistani establishment and terrorists based there had not said.

The Indian government has already rejected Trump's claim of mediation between India and Pakistan to stop military actions from both sides, Trivedi said.

He dubbed Gandhi as "Rahul Munir" and "Rahul Sharif", using the surnames of the Pakistani army chief and prime minister for his alleged undermining of India's prestige and the valour of its armed forces.

The BJP spokesperson and Rajya Sabha MP said while multi-party delegations, including Congress leaders, have seriously and unitedly put forth the Indian stand across the world, Gandhi with his utterly petty comments has shown that he lacks the maturity expected of his position.

It is the Congress government that signed the Indus Waters Treaty to give water to Pakistan and let go of the territory won by the armed forces following the 1965 and 1971 wars with Pakistan, he said, stressing that surrendering the Indian interest is synonymous with the opposition party.

"History will remember: From Doklam to Pahalgam, whenever India stood united to defend its sovereignty and rise as a global power, Rahul Gandhi, true to the legacy of his lineage, chose to stand with forces opposed to India’s political and economic resurgence.

"In moments that demanded unity, he echoed doubt. In times that called for strength, he amplified division," BJP's IT department head Amit Malviya said on X.