Congress leader taunts Centre with nimbu-mirchi on toy Rafale, BJP feels the burn

A political firestorm erupted on Monday after Uttar Pradesh Congress President Ajay Rai mocked the Centre with a toy Rafale jet adorned with nimbu-mirchi (lemon and chillies), accusing the Modi government of inaction in the wake of a deadly terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam.

“Terrorist activities have increased in the country, and people are suffering from it. Our youth lost their lives in the Pahalgam terror attack,” Rai said, brandishing the toy jet at a press briefing. “But this government, which talks a lot, says that they will crush terrorists — they brought Rafale, but they are in their hangars having chilly and lemon hanging in them. When will they take action against terrorists, those who support them, and their backers?”

In Hindu tradition, lemons and chillies are believed to ward off the evil eye and used for protection. Rai’s jab was a reference Defence Minister Rajnath Singh’s 2019 Rafale “shastra puja” in France, during which Singh placed lemons under the wheels of the aircraft and a coconut on top.

Feeling the burn, the BJP lashed out at Rai, with several leaders accusing the Congress of demoralising the armed forces.

“Look at Ajay Rai, UP President of pro-Pakistan Congress Party, who is making headlines in Pakistani newspapers and channels,” BJP MP Nishikant Dubey posted on X. “Understand the conspiracy of Congress Party to break the morale of the army in protest against Modi.”

BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawala stepped up the offensive, claiming that the remarks were not isolated.

“Channi, Priyank Kharge, RJD MP Sudhakar Singh, Ajay Rai — the attack on manobal (morale) of our Forces is not a sanyog (coincidence) but sahyog (collaboration) with Pakistan,” he wrote on X.

Echoing the sentiment, BJP leader Pradeep Bhandari alleged that Rai’s comments served Pakistani interests. “Rahul Gandhi’s close aide Ajay Rai mocks our forces! Congress today has become the Pakistani Congress and the spokesperson of Asif Munir’s Pakistan in India!”

UP Cabinet Minister Om Prakash Rajbhar also weighed in, saying, “The Congress party is going to play with this toy for the next 15 years. Giving anti-national statements is in their ideology.”

Undeterred by the backlash, Rai doubled down on his statement.

“The country wants to know when action will be taken against terrorists,” he said on Monday. “Rajnath Singh had put a nimbu-mirchi on Rafale. I said the same thing that Rajnath Singh did. We want to know when will the nimbu-mirchi be removed and when will action be taken?”

The Congress leader also found support from allies and within his own party. Congress MP Imran Masood said, “Such a reply should be given that Pakistan remembers it for centuries. Now is the time to remove the lemon and chilli from Rafale Don’t let them sit idle and rot.”

Samajwadi Party leader Ashutosh Verma, whose party is allied with the Congress in the INDIA bloc, pointed out the BJP’s double standards.

“If Rajnath [Singh] puts nimbu-mirchi, then it is good. But if we say, it is bad?” he said. “We want Rafale to be used and a befitting reply be given to the enemies.”