Jaipur (Rajasthan) [India], May 23 (ANI): Rajyavardhan Rathore, Cabinet Minister at the Industry and Commerce and Sports department in Rajasthan, has criticised Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi over his comments on the armed forces.

Rathore said, 'Sadly, he keeps raising questions on the armed forces... Just to come to power, he is harming the country by speaking the language of the enemies...'.

This statement comes after Rahul Gandhi's renewed criticism earlier this week of External Affairs Minister Jaishankar. The Congress leader questioned the minister's silence on the number of Indian Air Force aircraft lost during Operation Sindoor, insisting that the nation 'deserves the truth.'

Adding to his statement, the Rajasthan Sports Minister said that some members of the ruling party have even gone abroad and spoken about the country in a manner that is detrimental to its interests. He expressed concern that the government does not seem to understand the implications of its actions and words, which are being showcased by Pakistan.

Earlier, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Nishikant Dubey on Friday accused Congress leader Rahul Gandhi of hypocrisy for questioning Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar. Dubey referenced a 1991 Indo-Pak military transparency pact signed during a Congress-backed government to highlight what he called Congress's longstanding alignment with a 'Pakistani vote bank.'

Praveen Khandelwal of the BJP has also criticised Rahul Gandhi on May 22, stating,' It is a difficult time for the country, yet the Congress leaders are constantly attacking and tweeting about armed forces'.

Operation Sindoor was launched on May 7 as a retaliation for the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack. It targeted terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK), resulting in the deaths of over 100 terrorists. In response, Pakistan shelled border areas and carried out drone attacks, prompting India to conduct airstrikes on 11 Pakistani airbases. Both countries agreed to cease hostilities on May 10. (ANI)