Overview

• In a Bengaluru lecture, Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh said political leadership gave unambiguous directives and imposed no limitations on IAF planning or execution of Operation Sindoor.
• He confirmed that six Pakistani aircraft were shot down during the May precision-strike campaign launched after the Pahalgam terror attack.
• Late-July allegations from Rahul Gandhi that pilots were barred from targeting Pakistan’s air defence systems prompted today’s high-profile rebuttal and partisan backlash.
• Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju accused Gandhi of lying and lowering parliamentary standards, and BJP IT cell head Amit Malviya noted a “deathly silence” in both Congress and Pakistani media.
• The exchange highlights the intense BJP-Congress battle over narrative control, military autonomy and transparency ahead of key state and national elections.