New Delhi, INDIA – Multiple prominent Pakistani media outlets, including ARY News, Geo TV, and Samaa TV, have been found circulating demonstrably false reports attributing fabricated statements to senior Indian politician and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) member Subramanian Swamy. These reports falsely claimed Swamy admitted Pakistan destroyed Indian fighter jets, including Rafales, and revived corruption allegations regarding India’s Rafale deal. Investigations confirm these claims are entirely baseless.
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Table of Contents
The Fabricated Narrative
According to reports disseminated by Pakistani outlets such as ARY News, Geo TV, Samaa TV, Daily Times, and KMS News, Dr. Subramanian Swamy was falsely alleged to have made the following statements:
- Jet Losses Admission: That Pakistan destroyed five Indian fighter jets, including advanced Rafale aircraft, during the May 2025 conflict.
- Chinese Jet Superiority: That Chinese-made jets operated by the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) outperformed India’s Rafale fighters.
- Revived Corruption Allegations: That Swamy blamed Prime Minister Narendra Modi for corruption within the Rafale deal, specifically linking it to these fictitious shoot-down events.
Fact Check: Swamy’s Verified Positions
Thorough verification reveals no evidence supporting the claims propagated by Pakistani media:
- No Admission of Jet Losses: Dr. Subramanian Swamy has made no public statements commenting on the May 2025 incident or admitting to any specific Indian jet losses, Rafale or otherwise. India’s official stance, as maintained by the Defence Ministry, has consistently described any losses generically as “part of combat” without confirming specifics or numbers.
- No Praise for Chinese/Pakistani Jets: While Swamy has been a known critic of aspects of the Rafale deal in the past, his critiques centered on financial costs and procurement processes. He has never publicly compared the Rafale’s combat performance to Chinese jets or claimed Pakistani aircraft superiority.
- No Recent Corruption Charges Linked to Events: Dr. Swamy did raise questions about the structure and cost of the Rafale deal between 2018 and 2019. However, he dropped pursuing specific corruption allegations by 2021. Current French judicial probes relate to Dassault’s dealings with intermediaries before the Indian contract was signed in 2016 and are unrelated to PM Modi or the Indian government’s role. There is no verified statement from Swamy linking the fabricated May 2025 events to renewed corruption claims.
Origins and Pattern of Disinformation
The false narrative appears to have originated from the misquoting and decontextualization of old podcast clips or social media snippets featuring Dr. Swamy. This misinformation was subsequently amplified by Pakistani state-linked media channels following the May 2025 conflict.
This amplification coincided with:
- Pakistan’s own claims of having downed six Indian jets.
- Unverified reports from some Western analysts suggesting two Indian jets might have been downed by Pakistani F-16s or Chinese-made J-10CEs (though not Rafales specifically).
India’s Official Stance and Context
The Indian Air Force (IAF) maintains its standard policy of operational silence regarding specific combat losses. The Defence Ministry has consistently ignored Pakistan’s claims, focusing instead on confirming mission objectives were met and pilot safety.
Historical Rafale Criticism Context:
Dr. Swamy’s past critiques primarily focused on:
- Questioning the role of Anil Ambani’s Reliance Defence as Dassault’s offset partner.
- Raising concerns about the per-aircraft cost compared to earlier negotiations.
These issues were examined by India’s Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) in a 2020 report, which found the deal process compliant and found no evidence of corruption, though it noted the cost was higher than the earlier offer for a different configuration.
A Recognized Disinformation Tactic
The false attribution to a known Indian political figure like Subramanian Swamy fits a recognized pattern of disinformation often employed to:
- Bolster Pakistan’s domestic military narrative and morale.
- Attempt to sow discord within the Indian political landscape.
- Promote the capabilities of Chinese-made weaponry (like the J-10CE) by exaggerating their performance against advanced Western platforms like the Rafale.
Readers are strongly advised to verify sensational claims, especially those originating from media outlets with a history of propaganda, against official statements and credible international reporting before sharing them.