Facing Pushback, Derision and Anger, BJP Says News of Sindoor Distribution Plans ‘Fake'
New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Friday (May 30) denied that it organised a door-to-door campaign to distribute sindoor (vermilion) to women to mark the success of Operation Sindoor, calling news reports on it 'fake'. The news had surfaced as the BJP announced an outreach programme – set to begin on June 9, the day of Prime Minister Narendra Modi took oath for his third term – to celebrate its successes in the last 11 years.
While the party has not officially shared any details of its plans, it has communicated that the month-long programme will witness BJP leadership, including Union ministers and MPs, embark on 'padyatras', highlighting Operation Sindoor and the Union government's decision on caste census, among other achievements.
According to some media reports earlier this week, as part of this programme, the BJP was also going to gift sindoor to women in every household and distribute pamphlet highlighting the successes of the Union government.
However, the BJP denied this. Sharing a news clip by Dainik Bhaskar , the party stated from its official X handle that the news was 'fake'.
' This news published in Dainik Bhaskar is completely false and motivated by deceit. The Bharatiya Janata Party has not organized any program to distribute v ermilion door to door,' it wrote.
दैनिक भास्कर में छपी यह खबर पूर्णतः असत्य है और छलपूर्वक प्रेरित है। भारतीय जनता पार्टी ने घर-घर सिंदूर बांटने का कोई कार्यक्रम निर्धारित नहीं किया है।#FakeNews pic.twitter.com/BSGjojnH15
— BJP (@BJP4India) May 30, 2025
Notably, opposition leaders had reacted sharply to the reports of BJP's plans to distribute sindoor . Congress spokesperson Ragini Nayak reacted to the news, calling it an attempt to 'hide its political and diplomatic failure'.
'It is a matter of great shame that the Modi government wants to use the vermilion as a shield to hide its political and diplomatic failure. How low will the Modi government stoop to take credit for the valour and bravery of the armed forces?' she said at a press conference at the Congress headquarters, as quoted by The Hindu .
'When Narendra Modi was not satisfied with putting up big posters of Operation Sindoor in every district and every corner of the country with his photo on it and by dressing up in army uniform… Now, the BJP has announced that it will go door-to-door and distribute ' sindoor ',' Nayak claimed.
The BJP and Prime Minister Modi have been facing pushback over the apparent politicisation of Operation Sindoor in recent days.
Meanwhile, BJP IT Cell head Amit Malviya, while denying the reports, blamed West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee for 'politicising' a 'baseless report like a troll' and called Congress 'frivoulous' for bringing up the report.
'Many people are reacting on social media based on this #FakeNews published in Dainik Bhaskar. But the real absurdity began when the Chief Minister of West Bengal, from an official government platform, started politicising this baseless report like a troll,' Malviya wrote on X.
'Mamata Banerjee should be concerned about the deteriorating condition of her own state and refrain from making ridiculous statements on sensitive issues like national security. West Bengal is burning in the fire of communal tensions, women are not safe, the unemployed have no jobs — these should be Mamata Banerjee's priorities,' he said.
'As for the Congress spokespersons — they are frivolous people. It would be unreasonable to expect anything better from them,' he added.
Wh ile Banerjee did not directly refer to the report, she accused Modi of playing 'political Holi' with the nomenclature of the operation. Her comments were the first public denouncement by an opposition leader against the prime minister's ongoing blitzkrieg using Operation Sindoor,
'Operation Sindoor name was given with a political goal. But I won't say anything about this. When all opposition leaders are shouting hoarse for the country abroad, at that time the prime minister has come to play political holi – this does not behove the prime minister,' said Banerjee while addressing a press conference.
'Regarding Operation Sindoor, though I don't have any comments, please remember every woman deserves respect. They take sindoor from their husbands. PM Modi is not the husband of anybody; why aren't you giving sindoor to your Mrs first?' Banerjee had said.
Meanwhile, Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate, reacting to Malviya's comments, claimed that the BJP was forced to withdraw its campaign due to the backlash. 'Now they are calling the cheap plan fake news,' she wrote on X.
The prime minister has addressed a number of rallies and public gatherings over the past two weeks where he leveraged the word sindoor to gain traction.
However, he has made no mention so far of why the perpetrators of the Pahalgam attack are yet to be nabbed, or the status of the investigations into the attack.
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