Rajnath Singh's No-Casualty Statement Contradicted by Official List, Congress Says
The Congress party has accused Defence Minister Rajnath Singh of making a statement in Parliament that contradicts official records regarding casualties in Operation Sindoor. A day after the government released the names of six soldiers who died during the operation, Congress leaders on Saturday said the minister had earlier told the House that no Indian soldier had been killed.
The government's disclosure, which included the names of the six personnel who made 'the supreme sacrifice', has exposed an inconsistency, according to the Congress. The party has demanded that the government place complete facts about Operation Sindoor before Parliament during the upcoming monsoon session.
Congress deputy leader in the Lok Sabha, Gaurav Gogoi, said he had urged the Defence Minister during the parliamentary debate on Operation Sindoor to present 'the complete truth'. 'Instead, the House was unequivocally told that our soldiers had suffered no loss,' Gogoi said in a post on X. He noted that a year later, the government itself released the names of six martyrs. 'The government's own admission exposes a stark contradiction. Parliament was misled on a matter of the highest national importance.'
Congress general secretary Randeep Singh Surjewala also criticised the government, saying it had failed to speak the truth about soldiers' sacrifices. 'The age of a lie is short, the truth of martyrdom is indelible,' he wrote on X.
Senior Congress leader Manish Tewari questioned why the government sought to conceal the facts. 'In a kinetic action casualties do happen. Why obfuscate the facts and dissimulate, and that too to Parliament—the supreme legislative institution of the nation?' he asked. Tewari urged the government to place all relevant facts before Parliament without hesitation.
Congress leader K.C. Venugopal has moved a privilege notice against Rajnath Singh for allegedly misleading Parliament. The notice seeks action against the minister for what the Congress claims is a breach of parliamentary privilege.
Operation Sindoor was a military operation conducted by the Indian armed forces. The exact nature of the operation and the circumstances of the casualties have not been officially detailed beyond the names of the fallen soldiers. The government has not yet responded to the Congress allegations.
