NEW DELHI: Senior BJP leader and former Indian minister, Subramanian Swamy, has admitted that the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) shot down five Indian fighter jets on May 10, in retaliation to India’s aggression “Operation Sindoor.”
In a recent discussion on his YouTube channel titled “INDO-PAK CONFLICT CEASEFIRE – HAS IT STRENGTHENED OR DAMAGED INDIA?”, Subramanian Swamy raised serious doubts about the victory claims made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the aftermath of the India-Pakistan standoff.
Swamy questioned why, if India had indeed won, the Modi government had agreed to a ceasefire brokered by the United States.
He argued that India did not capture any territory from Pakistan during the conflict, suggesting that Modi’s declaration of victory was misleading.
“Narendra Modi has cheated India by claiming victory. We have not won; we have only ended up in a stalemate,” Swamy remarked.
He further stated that Pakistan had now gained support from neighbouring countries like Bangladesh, China, and several Muslim-majority nations in the West, which could strengthen Pakistan’s position against India.
He expressed concerns that these countries’ support could aid Pakistan in addressing any future challenges posed by India.
Subramanian Swamy also criticized the lack of transparency surrounding India’s losses during the conflict, specifically the number of jets shot down and the casualties among Indian pilots. “What victory are we claiming when Pakistan shot down five of our planes?” he asked.
The BJP leader accused the Modi government of withholding critical information from the public. “The Indian people have not been told the full extent of our losses. This lack of transparency is a betrayal to the nation,” Swamy asserted. He concluded by stating that what transpired between India and Pakistan was not a victory for India but a betrayal by the Modi government.
Earlier, A recent report in the American magazine The National Interest highlights growing tensions between India and France over the performance of Dassault Rafale fighter jets during the India-Pakistan conflict.
According to the report, the Indian government is reportedly dissatisfied with the jet’s combat performance, while France attributes any issues to pilot error rather than flaws in the aircraft’s design.
Titled “India and France Are At Each Other’s Throats Over the Dassault Rafale Fighter,” the report claims that Paris is pushing back against New Delhi’s criticism, suggesting that shortcomings were due to maintenance issues and pilot mistakes rather than deficiencies in France’s most advanced fighter jet.
“Dassault’s auditors want to inspect the Indian fleet of Rafales to ensure that there are no technical problems the Indian Air Force (IAF) may have overlooked. However, India is refusing to allow Dassault’s audit team,” the report stated.
A blame game appears to be underway, with both sides trading accusations. Despite India’s continued diplomatic pressure, France has reportedly refused to provide access to the Rafale’s source code. According to The National Interest, Indian officials suspect the French audit team’s real objective is to deflect responsibility for the jets’ underperformance onto the IAF. Some analysts have speculated that the Rafales themselves may not be at fault. Instead, they suggest that inadequate pilot training and years of lax maintenance standards within the IAF could be the underlying issues. –Agencies
