'Can We Call Op Sindoor A Success If...': Congress vs Centre In Lok Sabha
Parliament saw a fierce face-off between the Centre and the Opposition during a marathon discussion on Operation Sindoor - launched against terror bases in Pakistan in response to the Pahalgam terror attack.
Leading the Opposition charge was the deputy leader of Congress in Lok Sabha, Gaurav Gogoi, who questioned the success of Operation Sindoor.
"They (Centre) said we attacked them inside their homes. But, they are also saying that Operation Sindoor is incomplete because Pakistan can do it again in the future. They said it themselves. Then how was the operation a success?" asked Mr Gogoi.
Cornering the Centre, the Congress MP said, "They are saying our intention was not war, was it not so? They say it was not to take territory. Why was it not? When will we take back Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, if not today, then when?"
Earlier, Rajnath Singh, opening the special debate on Pahalgam terror strikes and Operation Sindoor, said that India halted the operation only after achieving "all the political and military objectives set before and during the mission".
"The notion that the operation was stopped under any pressure is baseless," Mr Singh said amid sloganeering from the Opposition benches.
The statement was in response to claims of US mediation in forcing an understanding between India and Pakistan.
"On May 10, the Pakistan DGMO requested the Indian counterpart and pleaded for relief. It was only after this that the Armed Forces took the call to stop," he said.
Mr Gogoi also reiterated the opposition's demand, asking the government to clarify how many Indian jets were downed during Operation Sindoor.
"There are just 35 Rafales in the country, and if some have been downed, then it's a big loss," he said.
Rajnath Singh, earlier, criticised the opposition for its queries on the losses during the operation, asserting these questions "do not represent our national sentiments".
"A few members of the opposition have been asking... 'how many of our aircraft were shot down?' I feel their question does not adequately represent our national sentiments. They have not asked us how many enemy aircraft we shot down," the Defence Minister began.
On May 7, India woke up to the news of "focused, measured and non-escalatory" strikes of the Armed Forces on the terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. Nine terror launchpads were targeted within 25 minutes in the operation. The mission was named 'Operation Sindoor' - a codename to avenge the widows of the April 22 attack, wherein 26 civilians - all men - were killed in cold blood by terrorists linked to an offshoot of Lashkar-e-Taiba.
After four days of fighting, India and Pakistan reached an agreement to stop firing on May 10. Within hours, however, the deal was breached by Pakistan. It was responded to with a stern warning by the Armed Forces the next day: "India would retaliate fiercely to any violation in future".
The special debate in Parliament coincided with a crucial operation launched by the Army - Operation Mahadev - under which it gunned down three terrorists - two of them involved in the Pahalgam terror attack - near Sringaar.
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