Operation Sindoor sparks firestorm in Parliament: Govt hails strike, opposition questions ceasefire and secrecy

Time of India

5 days ago

NEW DELHI: A marathon debate on Operation Sindoor in Parliament turned into a political battlefield on Monday, as the government lauded India's cross-border military action following the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, while the Opposition grilled the Centre over transparency, strategic choices, and Donald Trump's claims of mediating a ceasefire between India and Pakistan.
The session saw pointed attacks, dramatic rhetoric, emotional appeals, and deep divisions over what India's strongest post-Sindoor operation truly achieved.
Government: Military precision, diplomatic success
External affairs minister S Jaishankar led the defence, asserting that the operation, launched on May 7 and concluded on May 10, was India's sovereign response to Pakistan-backed terror.
He categorically denied that trade was used as leverage by the US.
He said, 'At no stage was there any discussion about trade during this time. The request for halting military action came from the Pakistani side, through the DGMO channel.'
He added that India's diplomatic outreach was successful, with only three countries (besides Pakistan) opposing India at the UN.
'There was overwhelming recognition that terror was unacceptable, and India had the right to respond.'
Opposition: Questions on ceasefire, secrecy, and Trump
Congress
MP Gaurav Gogoi delivered a sharp attack, citing Donald Trump's 26 public claims that he brokered the ceasefire by threatening to withdraw trade privileges, 'If Pakistan was ready to kneel, why did we stop? Before whom did the Prime Minister surrender?'
He also accused the government of dodging key questions about how many Rafale jets were lost, and why China, reportedly backing Pakistan during the operation, was never named.
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Deepender Hooda: 'Historic strategic mistake'
Congress MP Deepender Hooda accused the government of giving a 'clean chit' to Pakistan by choosing not to strike military targets.
He said, 'The foreign minister said we weren't targeting military or civilian infrastructure. That was a historic mistake. The world knows there's no difference between Pakistan's
army
, government, and terrorists.'
He also said, 'The biggest strategic mistake during Operation Sindoor was when the foreign minister said that we were not targeting military or civilian infrastructure.
By making that statement, the government effectively gave a clean chit to the Pakistani army and government.'
He further elaborated, 'You have repeatedly said, and even the world acknowledges, that there is no difference between Pakistan's government, its military, and the terrorists. They are one and the same. Yet, by declaring that only terror infrastructure was being targeted, you ended up sending a different message to the world.
That was a historic mistake.'
Anurag Thakur's barrage: 'Rahul occupied Congress'
BJP MP Anurag Thakur launched a blistering personal attack on Congress and Rahul Gandhi.
On Rahul Gandhi's political standing, Thakur said, 'Let me tell you, the leader you talk about, twice the people of the country did not even give him enough votes to become the leader of the opposition... He has become LoB from LoP. LoB stands for Leader Opposing Bharat. Opposing India and the Prime Minister is his agenda.
I don't know whether he becomes the poster boy of Congress or not, but he has become the poster boy of Pakistan's propaganda.
..'
On the 'half front' of internal opposition during the conflict, Thakur said, 'India fought on two and a half fronts, everyone knows about the two fronts, but in this half front, there is also a Rahul Occupied Congress. Look at the social media, in the last two months, Rahul Occupied Congress has made disgusting and insulting cartoons against the Prime Minister and the Indian Army...
Rahul Occupied Congress called the Army chief a roadside goon.
Rahul Gandhi should apologise to the entire country and the Indian Army...'
On opposition silence over gruesome terrorist acts, Thakur further said, 'Of all the opposition MPs who have spoken here till now, not even one MP has stood up and said that in this terrorist attack, people were asked about their religion and asked to recite Kalma, their pants were removed, and then they were killed.
Tell me what pain did the Opposition MPs have in saying this? When the defence minister was discussing the achievements of the Indian Army, there was no applause, no one was thumping the table.
..'
Rajnath Singh: 'Army losses not for public debate'
Defence minister Rajnath Singh maintained that the Opposition's repeated demand to know the number of jets lost or pilots killed was inappropriate and disconnected from the national mood. 'The country is proud of its soldiers.
Not everything needs to be counted in public.'
Outlining the operation's success and India's firm stance against terrorism, Rajnath asserted, 'At no stage in any conversation with US was there any linkage of trade with Operation Sindoor.'
He emphasized the Indian Army's achievements, reinforcing the government's narrative of decisive action.
C
harged exchange between BJP MP Tejasvi Surya and NCP (SP) MP
Supriya Sule
Tejasvi Surya sparked controversy with his historical assertions.
He said, 'At the very beginning of our Independence, at the dawn of this nation as an Independent country, Pandit Nehruji had a state policy that India did not require an army. Nehruji said this to General Lockhart that no plans for the modernisation of the army are required and that India's policy is ahimsa (non-violence)...we don't need the army, the police will do its job.
'
Surya blamed Jawaharlal Nehru for neglecting defence.
He said, 'Nehru had said India didn't need an army—only the police. He refused to modernise the armed forces.'
Supriya
Sule hit back at Tejasvi Surya's remarks, calling them an insult to the armed forces.
'I would like to tell Tejasvi Surya and put it on record, he said that Jawaharlal Nehruji, the first Prime Minister of India, never encouraged the defence forces and we have never done anything, this is the first time India has done exceptionally well in its armed forces.
He has not only insulted thousands and lakhs of Indian force and armies and their families who have stood so that you and I can be safe.'
She added, 'I object to the statement that he has made...Tejasvi Surya, if you haven't read history, then read it... When it comes to the country, the country comes first, then the state, then the party, then the family... When we got a call from Kiren Rijiju, he just told me on the phone that Supriya, you will have to give 10 days for the country...
It was the greatness of the Prime Minister that he showed faith in the opposition leaders to lead the delegations.
.. At the all-party meeting, the Congress party was the first to say that the Congress party and the entire opposition will stand with Narendra Modi's government with full strength.'
Rajbhar: 'We wanted Operation Tandoor, not Sindoor'
SP MP Ramashankar Rajbhar used vivid imagery to critique the government, he said, 'The country wanted Operation Tandoor, not Sindoor.
We should've roasted the terrorists.'
He also mocked Trump's alleged influence, saying, 'If Trump is telling the truth, then who's the real Vishwaguru—Modi or the man in the White House?'
Premachandran, Chamala: Govt escaped early debate
RSP MP N K Premachandran and Congress MP Kiran Kumar Chamala accused the government of avoiding early scrutiny. 'We had demanded a special session in April. They refused. Now they claim we're not being constructive.'
Lalan Singh, TDP hail Op Sindoor as calculated response
JD(U)'s Lalan Singh said the operation sent a strong message by neutralising 100 terrorists and disabling 11 airbases, without civilian casualties.
He said, 'India showed it can act with strength and restraint.'
TDP MP Lavu Sri Krishna Devarayalu added, 'The Pahalgam massacre was a slaughter. The response was not only justified, but essential.'
Tharoor Silent, Chidambaram doubts foreign hand
While Shashi Tharoor refused to comment, 'Maunvrat, Maunvrat,' he said when asked. Congress veteran P Chidambaram questioned whether the attackers were even foreign: 'What proof do we have? They could have been homegrown.
Let's not make assumptions.'
Ceasefire: India vs Trump's narrative
While Trump has repeatedly claimed he stopped India using the threat of withdrawing trade benefits, India insists that the ceasefire understanding followed a Pakistani request through military channels. The Opposition demanded clarity. 'Why hasn't the PM publicly refuted Trump if he's lying?' asked Gogoi.