‘Treason, grave insult to armed forces’: J P Nadda takes on Rahul Gandhi for ‘Narender, surrender’ jibe, Congress hits back

The Congress, meanwhile, said that it was wrong to think that “Narendra Modi is India and India is Narendra Modi”, with the party’s media and publicity department head Pawan Khera claiming that Rahul Gandhi’s “Narender…surrender” remarks encapsulated how PM Modi had time and again “surrendered” India’s national interests in situations which required the display of its ‘vishwaguru’ status.

Speaking at a party event in Bhopal on Tuesday, Rahul Gandhi had drawn a comparison between his grandmother, and then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, who went ahead against Pakistan in the 1971 war despite the Seventh Fleet of the US assembling on the other side in its defence, and accused PM Modi of acquiescing to Trump’s instructions of “surrender” with a “Ji huzoor (yes sir)” in the middle of Operation Sindoor.

On Wednesday, Nadda said that the Indian Army had penetrated 300 km into Pakistan and destroyed 11 of its airbases, demolished nine terrorist bases, and killed more than 150 terrorists as part of Operation Sindoor, which was launched in retaliation for the Pahalgam terror attack. He also sought to draw a line between the BJP and the country’s armed forces as far as its success was concerned.

“Pakistan is crying and telling the world that the Indian Army attacked 18 places in Pakistan and destroyed everything, and Rahul Gandhi is talking about the surrender of the country! Rahul Gandhi should know that the success of ‘Operation Sindoor’ was not announced by the government or any BJP spokesperson, but by senior officers of the Indian Army,” Nadda said.

“Operation Sindoor is a proclamation of the bravery and valour of the Indian Army. In reality, those whose policies have been of surrender cannot think of anything beyond this – why, isn’t it so with Rahul Gandhi?” he asked.

Sharpening his attack on the Congress as well as Rahul Gandhi, Nadda alleged that surrender was both in the dictionary of the party as well as its DNA. “Rahul Gandhi, you may have surrendered, your party may have surrendered, your leaders may have surrendered because your history has been like this but India never surrenders. Surrender is in the dictionary of your party Congress, it is in your DNA,” Nadda said.

“Rahul Gandhi, you should remember the tenure of your party’s governments and how you ‘surrendered’ in history. You surrendered to terrorism, surrendered in Sharm-el-Sheikh, surrendered at the table in Shimla after winning the 1971 war, surrendered in the Indus Water Treaty, surrendered Haji Pir Pass, surrendered 160 km area of Chhamb sector, surrendered in the 1962 war, surrendered in 1948 and even surrendered to the Muslim League at the time of independence of the country,” he added.

Narendra Modi…is not the country: Congress hits back

Doubling down on the Congress’s attack triggered by Rahul Gandhi a day earlier, Pawan Khera said, “When the brave Indian Army had Pakistan on its knees, Trump called, and Narendra Modi surrendered. Trump said many times that we got the ceasefire done by threatening with trade, but Narendra Modi has not replied to Trump till date.”

“He will not even answer, because name is Narender, work is surrender – this is the reality and truth…We have been asking this for the past month: Why was this deal made with the self-respect of the country? On what conditions was the ceasefire finally done? Where are terrorists like Hafiz Saeed, Azhar Masood?” Khera asked.

Adding that Modi can be the prime minister of the country but the country is not the prime minister, Khera said, “PM Modi could be the servant of the country, but India was known by different names like Jambudweep, Hindustan, Bharat, India, and not Narendra Modi, nor can it ever be known by that name”.

“So do not think that Narendra Modi is India and India is Narendra Modi. It is wrong to think so. Narendra Modi is the Prime Minister of the country, but he is not the country,” Khera said.

Trump’s repeated claims – 11 in 21 days – that the US intervened between India and Pakistan to “broker a ceasefire” has shown how the Modi government “surrendered” India’s interests, “admonished” India’s long-standing stand in the Shimla Agreement, hyphenated India and Pakistan, allowing the US to even talk about talks at a ‘neutral site’, he alleged.

“If you look at the 11 years of tenure of Narendra Modi, you will see him surrendering every time. They used to say that they would bring back black money, eliminate unemployment, double the income of farmers and show red eyes to China – but they surrendered,” Khera said.

“The situation has become such that when they (government) talk about China, they give them a clean chit… they are unable to take China’s name and make fun of the looks of the people of the North East and insult Lord Ganesha. It is said that Ganeshji’s eyes are small and do not open. Why does Narendra Modi not make a policy that goods will not be purchased from China?” he asked.