Lalit Shastri

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s latest tirade against India’s External Affairs Minister, Dr. S. Jaishankar, is not just politically reckless — it’s grammatically embarrassing.

At the heart of the controversy lies a clear, calculated, and courageous response to terrorism — Operation Sindoor, launched by the Indian Armed Forces at dawn on 7 May. This was not a mere skirmish. It was a decisive and calibrated counter-terror operation, targeting terror infrastructure across the Line of Control in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) and deep inside Pakistani territory.

This swift and precise military action came in the wake of the brutal Pahalgam terror attack of 22 April, where 26 civilians, including a Nepali national, were brutally shot dead in cold blood. This was the deadliest terror strike India has faced since the 26/11 Mumbai attacks.

As part of this retaliation, the Indian Armed Forces struck nine terror camps, including the headquarters of the banned terror groups Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) and Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) — sending an unambiguous message that India would no longer tolerate cross-border terrorism with impunity.

Now, what did Dr. Jaishankar say?

“At the start of the operation, we, India, had sent a message to Pakistan telling [them] we are striking at the terrorist infrastructure, we are not striking at the military, so the military has the option of standing out and not interfering in this process.”

This was not a pre-strike warning. It was a post-strike diplomatic communication, meant to de-escalate potential military entanglement. The operation was already in motion when the message was sent — not a plan, not a threat, but an ongoing, active reality.

The phrase used — “we are striking” — is present continuous tense. Yet Rahul Gandhi, either out of ignorance or malice, spun this statement as a so-called “betrayal,” accusing the Foreign Minister of “committing a crime” by “informing Pakistan.”

That accusation is not only baseless — it’s absurd.

India did not declare war. India executed a precision counter-terrorism response. And the message to Pakistan was a diplomatic safeguard to prevent broader military escalation.

But grammar, logic, and strategic clarity appear to be lost on Rahul Gandhi and his echo chamber of poorly informed party loyalists.

Time and again, he has demonstrated a dangerous tendency to politicize matters of national security with complete disregard for facts or context. His obsession with waving around a red-bound copy of the Constitution would be more credible if matched with a functional grasp of Wren & Martin.

This isn’t just a grammar lesson. It’s a warning.

When a leader aspiring to head the nation accuses his own Foreign Minister of treason — based on a deliberate misinterpretation of an official statement during a live military operation — it speaks volumes. About his immaturity. His lack of comprehension. And his readiness — or rather, unreadiness — for leadership.

Rahul Gandhi doesn’t just need a new scriptwriter. He needs a schoolteacher.