ISLAMABAD: Senior Indian Congress leader and former Maharashtra chief minister Prithviraj Chavan has admitted that India was "completely defeated" by Pakistan during the May conflict between the two neighboring countries, leading to the grounding of the "entire Indian Air Force."
“On the very first day, we faced a complete defeat," Chavan said while addressing a meeting of his party workers on Tuesday in Pune.
"On the 7th (May), during an aerial battle that lasted only half an hour, we were completely defeated, whether one accepts it or not. On that day, Indian aircraft were shot down, and the entire Indian Air Force was grounded. After that, not a single aircraft flew, because wherever a plane took off, whether from Gwalior, Bathinda, or Sirsa, there was a high risk of it being shot down by Pakistan. For this reason, our entire Air Force was grounded…”
India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), responding to the statement, expressed anger at the Congress leader, saying that the Congress party “hates Indian armed forces.”
BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla criticized Chavan’s “shocking controversial statements” and said, “Congress hates Indian Armed Forces. Sena ka apman is Congress ki pehchan [Insulting the army is Congress’s identity],” he posted on X.
Further criticizing the Congress leader in his post, he said: “From Sadak ka gunda [street thug] to doubting Sindoor/Surgical Strike/Balakote and even Op Mahadev.”
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