Why was war not goal? If we don't reclaim PoK now, then when—Gogoi asks Centre in Op Sindoor debate
Gogoi, the Congress's Deputy Leader in Lok Sabha, who was the first speaker from the Opposition side, also questioned the government's silence on reports that India lost an unspecified number of Rafale fighter jets during the operation in May, citing remarks by Chief of Defence Staff Anil Chauhan and India's defence attache to Indonesia Captain Shiv Kumar.
New Delhi: The Opposition Monday opened the Lok Sabha debate on Opposition Sindoor on an aggressive note, with Congress's Gaurav Gogoi questioning the sudden halt of the military strikes against Pakistan, asserting that 'war' and reclaiming of Pakistan-Occupied J&K 'should have been the objective' of the government to avenge the Pahalgam terror attack.
'The country and the opposition stood with the prime minister, but suddenly we were told that there was a ceasefire. If Pakistan was on its knees, why did you surrender? Whom did you surrender to? US President Donald Trump has claimed 26 times that he used trade as a warning and forced the two countries to end the war. He also claims that five to six fighter jets were downed…Every jet is worth millions and millions. Losing even some is a big loss, I feel,' said Gogoi.
Speaking in the Lok Sabha earlier today, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh stated that Operation Sindoor has only been paused and will be resumed if Pakistan engages in any misadventure again. He also underlined that it demonstrated India's resolve to enter Pakistan's territory and carry out strikes against forces inimical to India's interests.
To this, Gogoi countered, 'Were we not told this exact thing in 2016 and 2019? That we have entered their territory and demolished terror infrastructure. We were told after the Pulwama attack that we have sent our jets and Pakistan will not show the courage to attack us again. Now he (Rajnath) says that Operation Sindoor is not over yet, as Pakistan may come for us again. How has it been a success then?'
The MP from Assam's Jorhat added, 'He (Rajnath) stated that war was not our objective. But we ask why was it not our objective? It ought to have been. He says land was not our goal. We ask, why not? If we are not reclaiming Pakistan-Occupied Jammu and Kashmir now, then when?'
In his speech, Gogoi also targeted Home Minister Amit Shah, who was present in the House, as he spoke. Shah, he said, cannot 'take cover' behind Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha for the security lapse that led to the attack and the death of 26 people at Pahalgam's Baisaran Valley.
'If someone has to take the responsibility, moral responsibility, it cannot be the L-G, but it has to be the home minister. You can't take cover behind the L-G. And the government is so cowardly that it even blamed the tour operators. That they didn't know that tour operators were taking people to the tourist site,' Gogoi said, referring to claims made by certain officials of the security establishment in an all-party meeting held after the attack at the Parliament annexe.
Gogoi was also unsparing of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was on a visit to Saudi Arabia when the attack took place. 'When the PM returned, he should have first gone to Pahalgam. Instead, he went to Bihar and delivered a political speech,' Gogoi said, triggering protests from the treasury benches and Speaker Om Birla who asked the Congress leader to desist from placing 'wrong facts' in the House.
Gogoi also questioned the reason behind the defence minister skipping any mention of China in his speech, despite the recent remarks of Deputy Chief of Army Staff Lieutenant General Rahul R. Singh that China provided vital support to Pakistan during Operation Sindoor.
'You boast of showing red eyes to China, then why did you not mention China even once in your speech? We want to know from the prime minister and defence minister on the extent of help Pakistan received from China,' Gogoi said, claiming that even New Delhi's 'traditional allies' have hyphenated it with Islamabad raising a question mark on India's foreign policy.
(Edited by Insha Jalil Waziri)
Also Read: India wanted a stable, prosperous Pakistan but our peace efforts were mistaken for weakness: Rajnath
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