Congress seeks Defence Minister's resignation over six troop deaths in Operation Sindoor

The Congress party has intensified its attack on the central government over the deaths of six military personnel during Operation Sindoor, demanding the resignation of Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. The party accused Mr. Singh of misleading Parliament by stating that no Indian soldier had been killed in the operation.

Speaking at a press conference on Monday, Congress’s Ex-servicemen Department chairperson Colonel Rohit Chaudhry (Retd.) and Wing Commander Anuma Acharya (Retd.) alleged that the government had concealed the deaths of five Army soldiers and one Air Force personnel during the May 2025 operation, thereby denying them due recognition and honour.

Wing Commander Acharya claimed that previous governments had publicly honoured every soldier who made the supreme sacrifice, and accused the present dispensation of politicising the armed forces. “The Modi government, which politicises the army and soldiers, has repeatedly betrayed the country and the soldiers,” she said.

Colonel Chaudhry accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of using soldiers as props while seeking votes in the name of the armed forces. He cited Mr. Singh’s statement in Parliament, where he reportedly said no soldier had been martyred, and noted that BJP MPs had applauded. “Rajnath Singh has insulted the country’s army and soldiers. We demand his resignation,” Colonel Chaudhry said.

The Congress leader also questioned why it took 13 months for the names of the deceased soldiers to be made public. The party urged its leadership to move a breach of privilege motion against the Defence Minister and called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP MPs to publicly apologise.

In response, the government rejected the opposition’s charges, stating that the nation had paid tribute to the fallen personnel at the earliest opportunity and that their memory has been honoured with dignity. The Defence Ministry accused critics of selectively quoting Mr. Singh’s remarks from July 2025, arguing that social media posts had taken his statement out of context. The Ministry maintained that Mr. Singh had not claimed that no Indian soldier died during Operation Sindoor.

The controversy emerged after the government recently inscribed the names of the six soldiers on the National War Memorial, more than a year after the operation. The Congress has also reiterated its demand for the scrapping of the Agnipath recruitment scheme.