Opposition accuses defence minister of misleading Parliament and calls on Prime Minister Narendra Modi to issue a public apology
India’s main opposition Congress party has demanded the resignation of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, accusing him of misleading Parliament over military casualties during Operation Sindoor and calling on Prime Minister Narendra Modi to apologise to the nation.
During a press conference, Congress Ex-servicemen Department Chairperson Col. Rohit Chaudhry (Retd.) and Wing Commander Anuma Acharya (Retd.) alleged that the government failed to disclose the deaths of six military personnel during the May 2025 operation. According to the party, the casualties included five Indian Army soldiers and one Indian Air Force member.
The opposition argued that withholding the information deprived the fallen personnel of timely national recognition and public honour.
Congress accuses government of politicising armed forces
Wing Commander Acharya said previous governments had publicly honoured every soldier who died in service and accused the current administration of politicising the armed forces.
She alleged that the government had repeatedly failed to uphold the dignity of military personnel despite frequently invoking the armed forces in public discourse.
Meanwhile, Col. Chaudhry criticised the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), claiming it had used soldiers for political purposes while failing to fully disclose casualty information.
He also accused Defence Minister Rajnath Singh of providing inaccurate information to Parliament by stating that no soldiers had been killed during the operation.
Opposition plans parliamentary action
Col. Chaudhry questioned why authorities took more than a year to officially release the identities of the six personnel killed during Operation Sindoor.
He announced that the Congress party would urge its leadership to move a breach-of-privilege motion against the defence minister in Parliament, arguing that lawmakers were misled.
The controversy follows the recent publication of the names of six military personnel killed during the operation, more than a year after the four-day conflict between India and Pakistan in May 2025.
The Indian government had not previously disclosed the identities of personnel killed during the operation despite widespread reports regarding military casualties.
