New Delhi: The Opposition parties on Monday tore into the Modi government during a debate on Operation Sindoor in the Lok Sabha, demanding answers on the alleged premature ceasefire with Islamabad, supposed “surrender” to foreign pressure, and Pakistan’s continued threat. They questioned reported fighter jet losses, the home minister’s accountability for the Pahalgam attack, China’s role, and mocked what they termed the government’s “chest thumping” as empty and strategically confused.
Congress deputy leader Gaurav Gogoi launched a frontal attack on the government, asking, “Before whom did Prime Minister Narendra Modi surrender to halt the military action against Pakistan?” He said the Centre must clarify how many Indian jets were downed during the operation.
Gogoi noted that the Prime Minister has repeatedly said since the Uri and Pulwama attacks that “humne ghar mein ghus ke mara” and “we destroyed terror infrastructure,” and is making the same claims now.
“They themselves are saying Operation Sindoor is incomplete and that Pakistan can do this again. Then how is this a success? They say their intention was not war. Why not? They say it was not to take territory. Why not? When will we take Pakistan occupied Kashmir back? If not today, then when? The most horrendous terror attacks have happened under your government,” Gogoi said.
He added that the Opposition wants to know from the Prime Minister: if Pakistan was ready to kneel, “why did you stop and before whom did you surrender?” He said former US President Donald Trump has claimed 26 times that he used the threat of trade to bring about a ceasefire between India and Pakistan, and that “five to six” jets were downed. “One jet costs crores of rupees. The country has the courage to hear the truth. The defence minister must answer how many fighter jets were lost,” Gogoi said.
“This information is not just for citizens; it is important for soldiers too,” he added. Gogoi said there are “only 35 Rafale fighter jets” in the country, and if some were lost, “it is a big setback.” He referred to Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan’s interview stating that India rectified its tactics and struck deep inside Pakistani territory after suffering losses during the operation.
Gogoi also asked defence minister Rajnath Singh why he did not name China in his address and demanded disclosure of how much support China provided to Pakistan during the operation.
The Congress leader said home minister Amit Shah must take responsibility for the “security lapses” that enabled the Pahalgam attack. “Who will take responsibility, the (Jammu and Kashmir) LG? It is the home minister who must take responsibility. You cannot hide behind the LG,” he said. He claimed the security framework and decision makers have become arrogant. “But we will question them,” he said. Gogoi added that he expected the home minister and NSA Ajit Doval to take moral responsibility and the Prime Minister to explain why military action was halted. “When the Prime Minister returned from Saudi Arabia, he should have gone to Pahalgam; instead, he went to a political programme in Bihar,” he said, prompting protests from the treasury benches and an admonition from Speaker Om Birla to stick to facts. “If anybody went to Pahalgam, it was our leader Rahul Gandhi. If anyone is asking for martyr status for those killed, it is our leader, Rahul Gandhi,” Gogoi said.
TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee questioned the announcement of the ceasefire when, he said, the entire country stood with the Prime Minister during Operation Sindoor, likening it to a batsman “declaring the innings” at 90 runs. He asked why the Prime Minister did not publicly counter Trump’s May 10 social media claim about US mediation in the ceasefire. Banerjee, speaking mostly in Bengali and occasionally in English, said his party always stands with the nation, “but if there is any deficiency, we will point it out.” He read Trump’s post claiming India and Pakistan agreed to a “full and immediate” ceasefire after US mediated talks. “PM, why haven’t you once posted on your X handle, ‘You are incorrect, President’? You could not show the courage to do that,” he alleged, adding that “in front of the US President, Modi’s stature gets reduced, and his chest shrinks from 56 to 36 inches.”
Samajwadi Party MP Ramashankar Rajbhar said the country wanted “Operation Tandoor” after the Pahalgam attack, not Operation Sindoor. He accused the government of delaying action, saying a mission that should have been launched within three days was undertaken after 17 days. “Were those who carried out the Pahalgam attack among the 100 terrorists killed? That’s the real question,” he said. Rajbhar praised Hindu Muslim unity in foiling the enemy’s plan to incite riots and cited Trump’s multiple statements claiming US intervention led to the ceasefire. “If Trump was telling the truth, then where do we stand? The real Vishwaguru was sitting in the White House,” he said.
Attacking the government, Congress MP Deepender Singh Hooda demanded that India not play cricket with Pakistan while Operation Sindoor is ongoing. He sought modernisation of the armed forces and a higher defence budget. Hooda said Trump has claimed “28 times” that he brokered peace between India and Pakistan, but the Prime Minister has never contradicted him. The government must decide its approach to the US, he said, adding that either India should ask Trump to stop speaking on India Pakistan issues or the government should close the operations of US based fast food giant McDonald’s in India. He demanded disclosure of the ceasefire terms and claimed no country had condemned Pakistan, while the government failed to stop loans to Pakistan from multilateral bodies such as the IMF and ADB.
Responding, BJP MP Baijayant Jay Panda took a dig at the Congress, alleging the party was not allowing its own noted orator Shashi Tharoor to speak in the Lok Sabha. Participating in the discussion, Panda alleged that Congress governments had, on several occasions, surrendered India’s interests. “There are several leaders in your party who can speak well. My friend Shashi Tharoor ji, who is a good speaker, is not allowed to speak by his party,” he said, adding that Tharoor had earlier spoken in the national interest. According to sources, Congress asked its Thiruvananthapuram MP if he wished to speak in the debate, but he declined. There has been speculation over whether Tharoor, who led a delegation to the US, among other countries, would be chosen as a speaker by the party, given his enthusiastic endorsement of the government’s response to the Pahalgam attack, which reportedly strained his ties with the party.
