Cong slams govt over Indian defence attache’s reported ‘lost jets’ remarks

New Delhi: The Congress on Sunday cited the reported comments of India’s defence attache to Indonesia that the Indian Air Force lost fighter jets to Pakistan during Operation Sindoor and accused the government of having “misled” the country.

However, the Indian embassy in Indonesia, in a post on X on Sunday, said that the defence attache’s remarks have been “quoted out of context and the media reports are a misrepresentation of the intention and thrust of the presentation made by the speaker”.

The Congress also asked why Prime Minister Narendra Modi is “refusing” to preside over an all-party meeting to take the Opposition into confidence and why the demand for a special session of Parliament has been rejected.

Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh shared a media report on X which quoted Captain (Indian Navy) Shiv Kumar, speaking at a seminar in Indonesia recently, that the Indian Air Force lost fighter jets to Pakistan on the night of May 7, 2025, during its targeting of terror-linked sites in Pakistan.

Referring to the media report, Ramesh said in his post on X, “First the Chief of Defence Staff makes important revelations in Singapore. Then a senior defence official follows up from Indonesia.”

“But why is the PM refusing to preside over an all-party meeting and take the Opposition into confidence? Why has the demand for a special session of Parliament been rejected?” he said.

In a post on X, the Indian embassy in Indonesia said, “We have seen media reports regarding a presentation made by the Defence Attache at a Seminar.