NEW DELHI, May 30 (Alliance News): In a rare and startling admission, senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Subramanian Swamy has acknowledged that Pakistan downed five Indian Air Force (IAF) jets during the recent military confrontation between the two nuclear-armed nations.
In an interview, Swamy openly criticised the performance of India’s French-made Rafale fighter jets and raised concerns about alleged corruption in their procurement.
“Pakistan downed five of our planes. They used Chinese planes to down our planes, which were French,” said Swamy during the interview.
He pointed to the superior performance of Chinese aircraft used by Pakistan in the dogfight, claiming that India’s Rafale jets fell short of expectations. “Rafale is not up to the mark as per India’s needs,” he said.
Swamy went further, making serious allegations of corruption in the multi-billion-dollar Rafale deal. “Corruption happened in Rafale which won’t be investigated till Modi is the PM,” he stated, adding that there is a lack of political will to probe the losses suffered during the conflict or question the procurement decisions made by the current leadership.
“With Modi in power, no discussions or investigations will happen about how and why those jets were downed,” Swamy remarked, indicating that the issue is being deliberately hushed up by the government.
The military conflict between India and Pakistan erupted following a deadly attack in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) last month, which resulted in the deaths of 26 tourists. India swiftly blamed Pakistan for the attack, though no evidence was publicly provided.
In response, Pakistan launched “Operation Bunyan-um-Marsoos”, a large-scale military operation targeting Indian military assets across multiple regions.
According to Pakistan’s Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the operation led to the downing of six Indian fighter jets, including three Rafale aircraft, as well as the destruction of dozens of drones.
The intense fighting, which lasted 87 hours, ended on May 10 after a ceasefire agreement brokered by the United States was reached between the two countries.
When asked about the downed jets, Indian Air Marshal AK Bharti provided a vague response, saying, “Losses are a part of combat,” and refused to give specific figures. “ I would not like to comment as we are still in air combat situation. It will be advantage for adversary. We have achieved our objectives. All our pilots are back home,” he was quoted as saying by NDTV.
Meanwhile, ISPR reported that 53 Pakistani nationals, including 13 military personnel and 40 civilians, were martyred in Indian strikes during the brief but intense confrontation.
Swamy’s remarks have sparked a fresh political debate in India, with opposition parties demanding transparency about the air combat losses and renewed calls for a probe into the Rafale deal. However, the government has so far remained silent on Swamy’s explosive claims.
The admission by a senior leader of the ruling party has added a new dimension to the regional tensions and raised questions about India’s defense preparedness, the credibility of its military acquisitions, and accountability within its leadership.
