BJP MP faces backlash after Air Force Day post features rival nation jet

A social media post by a ruling party parliamentarian meant to celebrate Indian Air Force Day accidentally used an image of a rival nation's fighter jet instead of a domestic aircraft. Dr Bhola Singh, a Member of Parliament representing Bulandshahr in Uttar Pradesh, shared the graphic on his official account to mark the foundation day of the Indian Air Force. The post was removed after users spotted the mistake online.

Reaction

The error sparked immediate pushback from opposition figures. Congress MP Pawan Khera reposted the graphic and criticized the ruling party, tagging Prime Minister Narendra Modi directly. Khera argued that using a jet belonging to the Pakistan Air Force to honor India's forces showed a lack of respect for the military. In response, Singh defended himself by stating the mistake was purely accidental. He blamed the designer and editor of the graphic for the mix-up and noted the post was taken down immediately upon discovery. Singh also accused the opposition of blowing a technical mistake out of proportion for political gain because they lack other substantive points.

Context

Indian Air Force Day is observed annually on October 8 to mark the creation of the service and honor its personnel. Social media content for political figures is routinely managed by support staff and external design teams, which occasionally leads to errors when proper checks are missed.