Old Unrelated Video Shared as Indian Opposition Leader Imitating IAF Rafale Jet Crash
Following the 22 April 2025 Pahalgam terror attack, India launched Operation Sindoor, escalating tensions along the Line of Control (LoC). Both sides reported intensified cross-border firing and armed forces operations, leading to military and civilian casualties (here, here, and here). After days of attacks from both sides, a ceasefire agreement was reached through high-level military and diplomatic talks on 10 May 2025. However, Pakistan reportedly violated this agreement within hours of its announcement. Pakistani drones were sighted and intercepted in various parts of Jammu and Kashmir, including Srinagar, as well as regions of Gujarat (here, here).
In this context, a video (here, here, and here) is being widely shared on social media claiming that an Indian opposition leader is mocking PM Modi by imitating the crash of Rafale fighter jets of the Indian Air Force during Operation Sindoor. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Indian opposition leader imitating the crash of Rafale fighter jets of the Indian Air Force.
Fact: This video, dated 2 July 2024, shows Trinamool Congress MP Kalyan Banerjee mocking the BJP’s reduced majority in the 2024 General Elections. It is unrelated to Operation Sindoor, which began on 7 May 2025. Therefore, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
A reverse image search of keyframes from the viral video led us to the original video uploaded on the Sansad TV YouTube channel on 02 July 2024. The video shows Trinamool Congress MP Kalyan Banerjee’s speech during the Motion of Thanks to the President’s Address in the 18th Lok Sabha session.
While speaking about the BJP’s majority in the 2024 General Elections and comparing it to the game of Chu-kit-kit (similar to Hopscotch), Kalyan Banerjee mockingly said, “They said ‘abki baar, 400 paar,’ but the game had already started. There are several types of games. Choo-kit-kit is also a game. The ‘Choo’ was at 400 … but how much did they reach … kit, kit, kit … and it was 240. This game too, they lost.” The same details are reflected in the official transcript of the speech available on the Sansad website.
Meanwhile, Air Marshal AK Bharti, Director General of Air Operations (DGAO), responding to international media reports about an IAF Rafale fighter jet being downed during Operation Sindoor, neither confirmed nor denied the claims. Instead, he stated that losses are a part of any combat scenario.
To sum it up, an old, unrelated video is shared as an Indian opposition leader mocking the IAF Rafale jet crash.