BJP's Big Charge Against Rahul Gandhi Over China's Rafale Misinformation Campaign

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has mounted a sharp political offensive against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, accusing him of echoing narratives aligned with China's recent disinformation campaign against the French-made Rafale fighter jets. This comes after reports emerged suggesting that Beijing deliberately sought to undermine the credibility of Rafale aircraft—especially after their deployment in India-Pakistan hostilities—by spreading doubts about their performance and promoting rival Chinese alternatives.

BJP IT cell head Amit Malviya led the charge, asserting that Rahul Gandhi has consistently undermined India’s armed forces and bolstered foreign military platforms, particularly those linked to China. He pointed to Gandhi’s previous remarks made between 2021 and 2023, in which the Congress leader allegedly praised China’s military capabilities and criticized India’s approach to defense technology.

In 2021, during a parliamentary debate, Gandhi questioned why India had not adopted Chinese-style surveillance drones and even praised the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) tactics in the Ladakh stand-off. He followed up these views in 2022 during a closed-door meeting with defense analysts, reportedly advocating that India study and emulate Chinese drone warfare strategies for tactical superiority along the Line of Actual Control (LAC).

Gandhi further stirred controversy in 2023 during an interaction at an academic institution in London, where he stated that China was "winning the technology race" and urged Indian policymakers to learn from Chinese innovation in fields like battlefield drones, electronic warfare, and logistics automation.

Malviya argued that such statements fit squarely into a pattern of undermining India’s military morale, especially at a time when, according to an investigative report by the Associated Press, Chinese embassies allegedly engaged in an organized global campaign to discredit Rafale aircraft. The AP report suggested that Beijing’s motive was not only to harm France’s defense exports, but also to weaken the strategic trust between France and its Indo-Pacific allies, particularly India.

The Rafale jets—formally inducted into the Indian Air Force in 2020—have played a pivotal role in reshaping India’s air dominance. These 4.5-generation multirole fighters are equipped with AESA radars, advanced electronic warfare suites, Meteor air-to-air missiles, and SCALP deep-strike cruise missiles. The aircraft proved their value during tensions with Pakistan and are seen as a major deterrent in both western and eastern sectors.

Malviya argued that Gandhi’s criticisms of the Rafale deal in the past and his apparent appreciation for Chinese capabilities now fall into a troubling pattern of "being on the wrong side of the national interest." He said this not only gives ammunition to India’s adversaries but aligns with China’s broader strategic goal of denting Indian defense credibility.

In response, Congress spokesperson Pooja Tripathi dismissed the BJP’s attack as political deflection. She stated that Rahul Gandhi had raised valid concerns about China’s growing assertiveness and warned as early as 2022 in Parliament that pushing Pakistan closer to China could pose a two-front threat to India. Tripathi claimed that Gandhi’s remarks were rooted in long-term strategic thinking, not endorsement of China, and that the government should focus on bolstering real-time intelligence capabilities and defense preparedness rather than targeting opposition voices.

The Rafale deal has long been a point of political contention, with Congress previously alleging irregularities in its pricing and procurement process. The BJP, on the other hand, has defended the acquisition as a critical upgrade for India’s military preparedness.

Now, with reports of China's coordinated propaganda to damage Rafale's image globally, the political debate has acquired a new dimension—placing Rahul Gandhi's past remarks under intense scrutiny and reviving questions about how India navigates its internal political discourse amid external psychological warfare campaigns.

In an era where information has become a battlefield, both national unity and credibility in defense posture are increasingly seen as crucial tools—something the BJP insists Gandhi is eroding, while the Congress maintains he is trying to strengthen it by calling out vulnerabilities.