The Parliament saw a fierce face-off between the Centre and the Opposition during a marathon discussion in Lok Sabha on Monday on ‘Operation Sindoor’, India’s retaliatory action following the Pahalgam terror attack.
Assam Congress MP and deputy leader of the Congress in the Lok Sabha, Gaurav Gogoi, has asserted that the central government must present the “whole truth” regarding ‘Operation Sindoor’.
Speaking right after Defence Minister Rajnath Singh shared details of how India carried out Operation Sindoor against Pakistan after a terror attack in Pahalgam, Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi accused him of not addressing core questions.
“This is the age of war of information. The honourable minister spoke a lot, but did not answer how the terrorists could reach Pahalgam at all, and managed to slaughter 26 people there,” Gogoi, deputy leader of the Congress in the Lok Sabha, said.
He said the Opposition had sought the special debate on Operation Sindoor “precisely to ask these questions”.
Gogoi said the government must take responsibility, and not “hide behind” Jammu and Kashmir lieutenant governor Manoj Sinha, who recently took “moral responsibility” for what he called a “security failure”.
“They (Centre) said we attacked them inside their homes. But, they are also saying that Operation Sindoor is incomplete because Pakistan can do it again in the future. They said it themselves. Then how was the operation a success?” asked Gogoi.
The Congress MP said, “They are saying our intention was not war, was it not so? They say it was not to take territory. Why was it not? When will we take back Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, if not today, then when?”
Gogoi also reiterated the opposition’s demand, asking the government to clarify how many Indian jets were downed during Operation Sindoor. “There are just 35 Rafales in the country, and if some have been downed, then it’s a big loss,” he said.
Rajnath Singh, giving details of the operation, stressed that India had acted in self-defence and in retaliation after three armed terrorists killed 26 men in Pahalgam, a tourist destination in Jammu and Kashmir.
The Defence Minister, earlier, criticised the opposition for its queries on the losses during the operation, asserting these questions “do not represent our national sentiments”.
Operation Sindoor was launched in the early hours of May 7, specifically between 1:05 and 1:30 am. The operation involved missile strikes on nine terrorist targets, the government said.
