Uttar Pradesh Congress chief Ajay Rai unleashed scathing criticism on the Modi government, exposing the hollow might of India’s much-touted military machinery. Waving a toy Rafale jet decked with lemons and chillies—a mocking nod to Modi’s absurd rituals—Rai questioned whether India’s defence strategy had been reduced to superstitions and symbolic theatrics.
“People are dying, and our Rafales are sitting idle, protected not by action but by chillies and lemons,” Rai stated, following the Pahalgam incident that left 26 dead. “Where is the response? Where is the so-called surgical strike narrative now?”
His symbolic taunt highlighted Defence Minister Rajnath Singh’s much-ridiculed 2019 “shastra puja” in France, where instead of showcasing military strength, lemons were placed under jet wheels and a coconut was cracked—a religious gesture that now reeks of impotence rather than deterrence.
Rai lambasted the government’s silence and ineffectiveness: “Our youth are gone, families shattered—and the government offers silence in return. Is this the strong India we were promised?”
He added that while his party would back any credible national action, what they see instead is cowardice hiding behind theatrics. “After Pulwama, I asked the basic questions: Where did the RDX come from? Who carried it in? No answers then, no answers now. Just media optics.”
The BJP, rattled and defensive, responded by attempting to brand Rai’s remarks as anti-national. Spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla, avoiding the core question of military failure, accused Rai of “demoralising” the army and claimed his statements were “headline material for Pakistan”—a diversion tactic when cornered by truth.
“This isn’t demoralisation,” said one political observer. “It’s the exposure of a façade. India’s aggressive posturing is melting when real accountability is demanded.”
The BJP further tried to paint the Congress and the wider INDI alliance as sympathetic to Pakistan, claiming a “Rawalpindi alliance” is forming. But such rhetoric is increasingly seen as desperate—used to deflect attention from India’s internal security lapses and Modi’s inability to act when it truly matters.
Meanwhile, BJP leader Pradeep Bhandari stooped to name-calling, branding Congress as the “Pakistani Congress,” proving that in the absence of action, distraction remains the only defence.
Ajay Rai closed his remarks by standing firmly behind Rahul Gandhi, whose patriotism is now being questioned in the courts: “He doesn’t need a piece of paper to prove his love for this country. Unlike this government, he doesn’t hide behind rituals and PR.
