BJP's Dubey asks Oppn to not make losing jets an issue: 'Lost aircraft in 1965, 1971 wars'

BJP MP Nishikant Dubey. (PTI Photo/File)

During a heated debate in the Lok Sabha about Operation Sindoor, BJP MP Nishikant Dubey sharply countered the opposition's repeated questioning regarding the number of aircraft downed during the four-day military operation.

He said, “India lost aircraft in the 1965 and 1971 wars, but we never made it an issue because we are nationalists."

The BJP has asserted that the military operation was a "strategic success" and accused opposition parties of undermining the morale of the armed forces by questioning its outcomes.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh also criticised the opposition, saying, “We should not be bothered if a pencil is broken or if a pen gets lost. The result is that the targets of our armed forces were fully met."

“Sometimes, our opposition leaders ask: how many fighters (were downed)? I think this does not reflect India’s national emotion. The Opposition never asked how many enemy planes have been shot down by our forces,” Singh said.

While making his speech in Hindi on Tuesday, Dubey faced a technical glitch in the translation system.

When DMK MPs requested him to switch to English, he refused, asserting that English is a foreign language. He commented, “It would have been better if you had asked me to speak in Tamil or Bengali. Your insistence on English reflects your mindset. Someone spoke in Bengali for half an hour, yet Tamil Nadu MPs didn’t object. You only have a problem with Hindi. Congress and its allies don’t like North Indians or the Hindi language. If you keep promoting English, we will end up becoming England,” Dubey said, adding, “Hum phir se gulaam ho jayenge (We will become slaves again).”

Fortunately, the technical issue was resolved after a few minutes, allowing Dubey to complete his speech.