No Consensus, Just Conflict: Operation Sindoor Debate Sinks Into Bitter Blame Game Between Govt And Opposition
The debate gave an opportunity to the leaders of both the government and the Opposition to show unity against terrorism coming from Pakistan. While many speakers across party lines called for a common stance, their speeches exposed deep divisions. The Opposition left no stone unturned to corner the lawmakers and pressed for answers on critical issues such as security and intelligence lapses preceding the Pahalgam attack, accountability for those failures, losses suffered by the Indian Air Force, and the true nature of US involvement.
Notably, Prime Minister Narendra Modi chose not to respond in the Rajya Sabha, delegating the reply to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, which triggered an Opposition walkout.
From the government's perspective, the needle moved favourably, for instance, Union Home Minister Amit Shah confirmed the elimination of the Pahalgam terrorists, and Prime Minister Modi asserted that "no global leader" had urged India to halt its military operation. Meanwhile, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar put a full stop to speculations regarding New Delhi's differences with Washington, including issues of deportations, visas, and student concerns, aimed at closing talks around Trump's role in India-Pakistan ceasefire.
However, the Opposition remained unsatisfied. Congress MP and Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi challenged the Prime Minister to publicly refute US President Donald Trump's claims of brokering the ceasefire, labeling the challenge 'political rhetoric.'
While the PM skipped any mention of Trump and his repeated assertions of having brokered the ceasefire, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh sidestepped questions regarding the fighter jets lost on the first day of conflict, instead urging a results-focused perspective, saying, 'In any exam, the result matters. We should see whether a student is getting good marks and not focus on whether his pencil was broken or his pen was lost.'
Congress's Nationalist Strategy
In an uncharacteristic move, the Congress party adopted a nationalist stance to continue putting pressure on the government. This approach aimed to score political points by portraying the government as weak on defense. However, the tables turned with former Home Minister P. Chidambaram's suggestion that the Pahalgam attackers might have been "homegrown terrorists", rather than Pakistan-backed. This offered the government an opportunity to criticise the grand old party's inconsistent position.
Rahul Gandhi's speech was notably combative, alongside his sister, Wayanad MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra recalled the resignations of Vilasrao Deshmukh as Maharashtra Chief Minister and Shivraj Patil as Union Home Minister after the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, to emphasise government accountability. Gandhi accused the Prime Minister of prioritising his image over the armed forces' freedom to operate, warning that 'the forces should be used with freedom and for the national interest' and urged a decisive military effort to 'defeat terrorism once and for all.'
'It is dangerous at this time for the Prime Minister to use the forces to protect his image. It is dangerous for the country. The forces should only be used in the national interest, and the forces should be used with freedom. If you want them to be used … then go all the way, fight properly and defeat them once and for all," he said.
Historical Echoes In Debate
The discussion frequently revisited historical parallels. The Congress party members highlighted Indira Gandhi's role in the creation of Bangladesh despite US pressure, contrasting it with the current ceasefire announcement influenced by the US. Meanwhile, the government drew attention to the Congress's perceived failings during critical moments, such as Partition, the wars of 1947–48 and 1965, the Indus Waters Treaty, and the 1962 war with China, to question the Opposition's credibility on national security.
While the Congress remains burdened by its political legacy, this debate underscored the broader polarisation within Indian politics. Despite shared concerns over terrorism, the parties remain entrenched in mutual recriminations. With other INDIA bloc parties siding with the Congress in criticism of the government, the opposition front remains fragmented under intense BJP scrutiny.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Indian Express
6 minutes ago
- Indian Express
As Trump's fresh threats loom, India still has a slight tariff edge over China but loses advantage with Vietnam
Despite fresh tariff escalation threats and the prospect of higher duties under the new regime announced by US President Donald Trump that could take effect from August 7, India continues to have a relative advantage on a key metric being tracked by policymakers in New Delhi – the tariff differential with China. As on August 1, China had the highest effective tariff rate (ETR) of the US's major trading partners, with India with a comparative advantage of around 20 percentage points. While tariffs on China remain at 34 per cent, the total ETR inclusive of the tariff rate at the end of 2024 came to around 42 per cent, according to Fitch Ratings' updated ETR Monitor that reflects the July 27 and July 31 announcements of new reciprocal tariff rates for most trading partners of the US. While India is slightly over 21 per cent, according to the latest data, the overall effective tariff rate for the US across all its trading partners is now 17 per cent — about 8 percentage points lower than Fitch's ETR Monitor of April 3, 2025, when higher reciprocal tariffs were originally announced, but around 3 percentage points higher than the estimate at the end of June 2025. The ETR represents total duties as a percentage of total imports and changes, with shifts in import share by country of origin and product mix. With Vietnam, though, India now has lost a slight advantage in ETR terms after additional tariffs kicked in, as against an advantage up to end-2024. This is despite Trump's rhetoric against transhipped goods and his administration's efforts to neutralise China's supply bases in ASEAN. And going forward, given Trump's frustration with India on not agreeing to his terms for a deal, this disadvantage is likely to fester. That is likely to be the case till Delhi gets a deal of some kind with Washington DC, but the situation could, however, change for the worse going forward, with Trump warning Monday that he would raise the tariff on India 'substantially' for buying Russian oil. Amid all the upheaval thrown up by America's tariff action, the assumptions that the Indian policymaker had implicitly factored in include that Washington DC will maintain a differential of 10-20 per cent in tariffs between China and countries such as India; and that a trade deal with the US needs to be clinched precisely for ensuring the gap in tariffs between India and China is maintained, even with a limited early-harvest type of deal. New Delhi did back out at the last minute from signing the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (a trade deal among Asia-Pacific countries including China) given the sensitivities of agri livelihoods. A higher-than-anticipated US tariff rate, especially on a comparative basis, could dent India's growth prospects, economists said. Though Trump did not specify the rate of penalty for India on account of Russian oil and defence imports, earlier statements made by Trump indicate that it could be to the tune of 100 per cent. This way, India stands to potentially lose the US tariff advantage vis-a-vis China at least till the time a deal is struck, even if Beijing, too, faces the same penalty for importing from Russia. China is the largest buyer of Russian oil, at about 2 million barrels per day, followed by India (just under 2 million a day) and Turkey. China had agreed to cut tariffs on US goods to 10 per cent from 125 per cent in May, while the US had agreed to lower tariffs on Chinese goods to 30 per cent from 145 per cent. But with respect to Russian oil, Trump has been singling out India, while being largely silent on China. Given how talks between Indian and US negotiators have proceeded so far, an interim deal still seems distant and is unlikely to be clinched before September, with October a possible outer deadline. Indications are a sixth round of talks between the two negotiating teams will take discussions forward on August 25. India's government has asked it various ministries to come up with potential giveaways to sweeten the deal for the upcoming negotiations. Once the official level discussions wrap up, there is a sense that a final call on the deal could come down to a conversation between the two leaders, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Trump. For India, the best-case scenario would be to get a deal of some sort now, and then build on that in the future negotiations that could run into 2026, experts said. The effective duty on Chinese products on a landed basis across US ports in commodity categories where Indian producers are reasonably competitive is being tracked constantly. The net tariff differential with India, and how that curve continues to move, is of particular interest here, given the belief that Washington DC would ensure a reasonable tariff differential between China and India. Officials said a 10-20 per cent differential is expected to tide over some of India's structural downsides — infrastructural bottlenecks, logistics woes, high interest cost, the cost of doing business, corruption, etc. US and Chinese officials wrapped up two days of discussions in Stockholm last week, with no breakthrough announced. After the talks, China's top trade negotiator Li Chenggang declared that the two sides agreed to push for an extension of a 90-day tariff truce struck in mid-May, without specifying when and for how long this extension kicks in. Anil Sasi is National Business Editor with the Indian Express and writes on business and finance issues. He has worked with The Hindu Business Line and Business Standard and is an alumnus of Delhi University. ... Read More
Hans India
8 minutes ago
- Hans India
Govt prepared for Cong, BJP agitations, says HM Parameshwara
Bengaluru: Home Minister G Parameshwara on Monday said all necessary security precautions have been taken ahead of the protests planned by the ruling Congress and BJP here on August 5. While Congress leader Rahul Gandhi will lead a rally against 'vote theft' during the Lok Sabha polls last year at Freedom Park in the city, the opposition BJP will hold a counter-protest at Vidhana Soudha 'to inform the public about the misleading stand of Congress'. The day will also see state-wide protests by Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) employees. Speaking to the reporters, the Home Minister said, 'The government has the capability to handle everything. Adequate police personnel have been deployed for security. Instructions have been issued for all necessary measures.' Parameshwara also gave more details about the Anti-Narcotic Task Force (ANTF), formed to eradicate drugs in Bengaluru city. 'They function like a task force. They act based on wherever the information comes from. We have already given specific instructions to every Superintendent of Police,' said the minister. He also added that to make it even stronger, personnel from Anti-Naxal Force (ANF) have been transferred to ANTF. 'We have declared that there are no more Naxals in Karnataka. In that context, there was a discussion on disbanding the ANF. However, we decided to retain it and reduce the number of personnel. About 200 to 250 personnel were taken from ANF to the Special Action Force. We had taken them for Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts. Now, since there was a staff shortage in Bengaluru, a few were taken from ANF. If there is a need again, we will redeploy personnel.' He also said the report of the statewide survey of Scheduled Castes (SC), overseen by Justice Nagamohan Das Commission, will be submitted to the Chief Minister on Monday. 'After that, the government will act based on the contents of the report. We undertook this with the intention of ensuring internal reservation, and we will implement it,' said the minister.
Hans India
8 minutes ago
- Hans India
Congress postpones protest due to Shibu Soren's demise
Bengaluru: The Congress party's planned protest rally against electoral malpractice, led by Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, has been postponed to August 8, following the demise of veteran Jharkhand leader and former Chief Minister Shibu Soren. This was announced by Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar in Bengaluru on Monday. Speaking to the media at Freedom Park, Shivakumar said, 'Shibu Soren was a towering tribal leader and a longtime ally of the Congress. As a mark of respect, the protest scheduled for Tuesday has been rescheduled. The final rites of Soren will be held on Tuesday at 3 PM, and hence, we have decided not to proceed with the protest on a day of national mourning.' He urged party workers, leaders, and supporters to retain all the preparations made for the event and assured that the protest would take place at the same venue and time on August 8. Shivakumar emphasized that Rahul Gandhi's scheduled press conference in Delhi has also been postponed. 'After the final rites tomorrow, further details will be announced,' he added. Reflecting on Soren's legacy, he said, 'Shibu Soren stood firmly with the Congress during critical times, including the tenure of former PM PV Narasimha Rao. We supported his government, and he supported ours. We pray for his soul to rest in peace.' Despite the Varamahalakshmi festival on August 8, Shivakumar said party duties take precedence. 'We are not against people celebrating the festival or offering prayers, but we expect full support for the party's cause,' he said, appealing to all Congress leaders and workers to participate in the asked about BJP's counter-protest in support of the Election Commission, Shivakumar responded, 'In a democracy, protests and criticism are welcome. But the Election Commission should be neutral. It must act fairly and serve justice. During the Assembly elections, our candidate from Mahadevapura filed a legitimate complaint, but the response was inadequate. Now, our internal study has revealed more evidence which we will present to the public. Let the people decide who is right and who is wrong.'Regarding the Congress Legislature Party meeting, Shivakumar mentioned that the leaders are considering calling one soon to coincide with the protest and discuss future strategies. The Congress party's protest, now set for August 8, is expected to see a massive turnout, with the spotlight on alleged voter fraud and the party's demand for accountability from electoral institutions.
