Rafale, Trump, ‘new normal' with Pakistan: Who said what in Operation Sindoor debate in Lok Sabha
Here's a recap of major arguments in the Lok Sabha:
Rajnath's detailed account, Rahul Gandhi's 'kyun?' interjection
Defence minister Rajnath Singh detailed how the operation — India's military response to the Pahalgam terror attack — was carried out. He had a ready response to questions about India's loss of military assets, particularly fighter jets: 'No important assests were damaged."
He added, 'If they (opposition) must ask a question, it should be whether India destroyed terrorist bases — and the answer is yes. If you want to know whether Operation Sindoor was successful — again, the answer is yes.'
Rajnath Singh stressed that India stopped the strikes upon a request from Pakistan.
Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi interjected with a 'why did we stop?' at this, but Rajnath said he'd already answered that. He was seemingly referring to the assertion that India did not want to escalate but only make its intentions clear.
'How many, if any, Rafales fell?' Pointed questions by Cong's Gaurav Gogoi
'The country has the courage to handle the truth. Don't worry; tell us,' Gaurav Gogoi, Congress deputy leader in the Lok Sabha, said in his speech immediately after Rajnath Singh's address.
'We want to know from Rajnath Singh ji today, how many of our fighter jets were downed. We have to tell this not just to the public but also to our jawans, as they are being lied to as well,' he said.
'There are just 35 Rafale jets in India; you thought those many were enough. And if some of them have been downed, I think it is a big loss,' he said.
Gogoi also said India should not have stopped the strikes but 'finished the job' and got back Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
Did Trump broker ceasefire? As Jaishankar spoke, Amit Shah snapped at Oppn
External affairs minister S Jaishankar, in his speech later, said that while the challenge of cross-border terrorism continues, 'Operation Sindoor marks a new phase; there is now a new normal'.
He said there was no mention of trade in any phone call between PM Modi and US President Donald Trump during the time.
His assertions were an apparent response to Trump's repeated claims that he brokered the ceasefire after telling Indian and Pakistani governments that the US won't trade with them if they didn't stop fighting. Trump repeated his claim late on Monday, even after the opposition had counted up to the 26th time.
Also read | Jaishankar slams Opposition: 'Which one of you…'
'At no stage in any conversation with the US was there any linkage with trade and what was going on," Jaishankar said.
When the opposition MPs disrupted his speech, home minister Amit Shah burst out: 'They don't have faith in an Indian foreign minister, but they have faith in some other country.' Saying 'this is the reason' why the Congress is on the opposition benches, Shah claimed, 'It will remain sitting there for the next 20 years.'
Barbs and some conciliatory notes
BJP MP Anurag Thakur took shots at Rahul Gandhi, accusing him of being sympathetic to Pakistan, while Trinamool Congress MP Kalyan Banerjee mocked PM Modi by saying 'his '56-inch chest' reduces to 36 inches in front of the American president Trump'.
NCP (SP) leader Supriya Sule, however, while being in Opposition, lauded PM Modi for appointing leaders from across parties to lead delegations abroad to convey India's message of zero tolerance against terrorism.
"When it comes to national duty, first comes the country, then the state, then party and then family. PM Modi has shown a big heart by appointing Opposition leaders to lead the all-party delegation," she said.
The debate moves to the Upper House of Parliament on Tuesday.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hindustan Times
7 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
‘Some don't agree to share power': DK Shivakumar's cryptic remark at Congress event
Karnataka deputy chief minister DK Shivakumar on Sunday highlighted the importance of political sacrifice and power-sharing and how leaders nowadays are reluctant to do the same. Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah with Deputy CM and state Congress President D K Shivakumar(PTI) Though Shivakumar didn't name anyone, his remarks have reignited speculation about a rift with Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah over a rotational chief ministership – a deal the latter firmly denied. Speaking at the AICC-organised event titled 'Constitutional Challenges' in Delhi on Sunday, Shivakumar lauded the Gandhi family's contributions to the party and praised Sonia Gandhi's decision to not assume the post of Prime Minister in 2004. 'When Sonia Gandhi was asked by the President to take oath as the Prime Minister, she said, 'For me, power is not important.' She decided that a Sikh, a minority, and an economist could save the country and should become the Prime Minister,' Shivakumar said, calling it an unparalleled act of political sacrifice. In an apparent dig at leaders unwilling to step aside, he added: 'Has anyone in such a big democracy made such a sacrifice? Does anyone even sacrifice a small position today? Some MLAs and ministers share power, but some of us don't even agree to share power. Even at the panchayat level, many don't.' Earlier last month, chief minister Siddaramaiah had dismissed speculation of a mid-term leadership change, asserting he would complete the full five-year term. 'Am I not sitting here as the Chief Minister? Where is the vacancy?' Siddaramaiah said in New Delhi. 'DK Shivakumar himself has clarified this, and I'm saying the same, there's no vacancy for the CM post,' he had said. His statement was seen as a clear attempt to shut down persistent talk of Shivakumar being elevated to the top post in the latter half of the government's term. 'Congress's history is India's history' In his concluding remarks at the Delhi event, the deputy CM further talked about the grand old party's legacy and the Gandhi family's role in maintaining unity within the organisation. 'Congress's history is the country's history. The Gandhi family has kept the Congress Party united, and the Congress Party has kept the country united,' he said, according to an official party release.
Mint
7 minutes ago
- Mint
Who is Adriana Kugler and what her exit mean for Trump's pick for next Fed Chair
Governor Adriana Kugler has stepped down from the US Federal Reserve board, providing US President Donald Trump with an important chance to shape monetary policy before the 2026 transition of the central bank's chair. Kugler is the first Hispanic to serve on the Fed's Board of Governors. She submitted her resignation letter on Friday, effective August 8. With her term ending in January 2026, her early exit comes amid Trump's latest attack on Fed Chair Jerome Powell. Dr. Adriana D. Kugler was appointed on the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System since September 13, 2023, for a term until January 31, 2026. Before her appointment to the Board, she was the US Executive Director at the World Bank Group. She is currently on leave from Georgetown University, where she serves as a professor of Public Policy and Economics. She previously held the position of chief economist at the US Department of Labour between 2011 and 2013. Additionally, Dr. Kugler was a research associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research and the Centre for the Study of Poverty and Inequality at Stanford University. Kugler also served as the elected chair of the Business and Economics Statistics Section of the American Statistical Association, a member of the Board on Science, Technology, and Economic Policy of the National Academies of Sciences, and a member of the Technical Advisory Committee of the Bureau of Labour Statistics. In terms of education, she pursued a BA in economics and political science from McGill University and a PhD in economics from the University of California, Berkeley. Under Fed regulations, the chair must be selected from the present members of the Fed's board. Trump, who has been repeatedly urging Powell to resign, Kugler's departure may impact his timeline to choose the next central bank chair. If the US President opts to select an outsider for the board, like National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett or former Fed Governor Kevin Warsh, he might not have the opportunity to do so again soon, Bloomberg reported. Powell's term as chair concludes in May, but his role as a governor continues until 2028. Although outgoing chairs usually resign from the board, Powell has not disclosed his future plans. If he stays, Trump won't have another chance to fill a board vacancy until 2028. In that scenario, the president might be obliged to appoint the person he plans to promote next May to fill the Kugler vacancy. If he is keen to quickly add a new loyalist to the board, he will need to decide promptly who that chair will be. There is no indication that Trump has decided on a candidate yet. However, the contenders include Hassett, Warsh, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, and current Fed Governor Christopher Waller, the report added.
&w=3840&q=100)
Business Standard
7 minutes ago
- Business Standard
China pushes back at US demands to stop buying Russian, Iranian oil
US and Chinese officials may be able to settle many of their differences to reach a trade deal and avert punishing tariffs, but they remain far apart on one issue: the US demand that China stop purchasing oil from Iran and Russia. "China will always ensure its energy supply in ways that serve our national interests," China's Foreign Ministry posted on X on Wednesday, following two days of trade negotiations in Stockholm, responding to the US threat of a 100 per cent tariff. "Coercion and pressuring will not achieve anything. China will firmly defend its sovereignty, security and development interests," the ministry said. The response is notable at a time when both Beijing and Washington are signalling optimism and goodwill about reaching a deal to keep commercial ties between the world's two largest economies stable -- after climbing down from sky-high tariffs and harsh trade restrictions. It underscores China's confidence in playing hardball when dealing with the Trump administration, especially when trade is linked to its energy and foreign policies. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, emerging from the talks, told reporters that when it comes to Russian oil purchases, the "Chinese take their sovereignty very seriously". "We do not want to impede on their sovereignty, so they would like to pay a 100 per cent tariff," Bessent said. On Thursday, he called the Chinese tough negotiators, but said China's pushback has not stalled the negotiations. "I believe that we have the makings of a deal," Bessent told CNBC. Gabriel Wildau, managing director of the consultancy Teneo, said he doubts President Donald Trump would actually deploy the 100 per cent tariff. "Realising those threats would derail all the recent progress and probably kill any chance" for Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping to announce a trade deal if they should meet this fall, Wildau said. In seeking to restrict oil sales by Russia and Iran, a major source of revenue for both countries, the US wants to reduce the funding available for their militaries, as Moscow pursues its war against Ukraine and Tehran funds militant groups across the Middle East. China plays hardball When Trump unveiled a sweeping plan for tariffs on dozens of countries in April, China was the only country that retaliated. It refused to give in to US pressure. "If the US is bent on imposing tariffs, China will fight to the end, and this is China's consistent official stance," said Tu Xinquan, director of the China Institute for WTO Studies at the University of International Business and Economics in Beijing. WTO is the acronym for the World Trade Organization. Negotiating tactics aside, China may also suspect that the US will not follow through on its threat, questioning the importance Trump places on countering Russia, Tu said. Scott Kennedy, senior adviser and trustee chair in Chinese Business and Economics at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, said Beijing is unlikely to change its posture when it sees inconsistencies in US foreign policy goals toward Russia and Iran, whereas Beijing's policy support for Moscow is consistent and clear. It is also possible that Beijing may want to use it as another negotiating tool to extract more concessions from Trump, Kennedy said. Danny Russel, a distinguished fellow at the Asia Society Policy Institute, said Beijing now sees itself as "the one holding the cards in its struggle with Washington". He said Trump has made it clear he wants a "headline-grabbing deal" with Xi, "so rejecting a US demand to stop buying oil from Iran or Russia is probably not seen as a deal-breaker, even if it generates friction and a delay". Continuing to buy oil from Russia preserves Xi's "strategic solidarity" with Russian President Vladimir Putin and significantly reduces the economic costs for China, Russel said. "Beijing simply cannot afford to walk away from the oil from Russia and Iran," he said. "It is too important a strategic energy supply, and Beijing is buying it at fire-sale prices." China depends on oil from Russia and Iran A 2024 report by the US Energy Information Administration estimates that roughly 80 per cent to 90 per cent of the oil exported by Iran went to China. The Chinese economy benefits from the more than one million (10 lakh) barrels of Iranian oil it imports per day. After the Iranian parliament floated a plan to shut down the Strait of Hormuz in June following US strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities, China spoke out against closing the critical oil transit route. China also is an important customer for Russia, but is second to India in buying Russian seaborne crude oil exports. In April, Chinese imports of Russian oil rose 20 per cent over the previous month to more than 1.3 million (13 lakh) barrels per day, according to the KSE Institute, an analytical centre at the Kyiv School of Economics. This past week, Trump said the US will impose a 25 per cent tariff on goods from India, plus an additional import tax because of India's purchasing of Russian oil. India's Foreign Ministry said on Friday its relationship with Russia was "steady and time-tested". Stephen Miller, White House deputy chief of staff and a top policy adviser, said Trump has been clear that it is "not acceptable" for India to continue financing the Ukraine war by purchasing oil from Russia. "People will be shocked to learn that India is basically tied with China in purchasing Russian oil," Miller said on Fox News Channel's "Sunday Morning Futures". He said the US needs "to get real about dealing with the financing of this war". (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
