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Time of India
9 hours ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Congress seeks urgent Parliament session over defence chief's disclosure on Operation Sindoor
Live Events (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel The Congress on Sunday demanded the immediate convening of a special session of Parliament to discuss the military and foreign policy strategy in the wake of revelations made by Chief of Defence Staff Gen Anil Congress also demanded that the government take all parties and the nation into confidence and discuss India's defence preparedness and strategy after Operation Sindoor Congress general secretary, communications, Jairam Ramesh said the prime minister or the defence minister should have informed the opposition leaders in the all-party meeting what Gen Chauhan has stated in Singapore."The Chief of Defence Staff Gen Anil Chauhan has made some important statements on Operation Sindoor in, of all places, Singapore. It would have been better if the prime minister or the raksha mantri had briefed opposition leaders first in an all-party meeting.""Gen Chauhan's statements strengthen the case for the immediate convening of the Parliament to discuss larger strategic foreign policy and economic issues in the post Operation Sindoor era," Ramesh told Saturday, Gen Chauhan in Singapore said that India rectified tactics and hit deep inside Pakistani territory after suffering losses of aircraft in the recent military clashes with Pakistan. He also dismissed as "absolutely incorrect" Islamabad's claim of downing six Indian Chauhan, in an interview with Bloomberg TV, said India flew all its jets and carried out high-precision strikes to hit back at Pakistan after ascertaining the reasons for the initial said it is a matter of concern that such statements are coming from the CDS from Singapore, of all places."Why couldn't the prime minister have briefed opposition leaders?" he asked while referring to the statements of Gen Chauhan."We have been demanding all-party meetings and a special session of parliament precisely for this purpose," he also reiterated his demand for a special review committee on the lines of one set up after the Kargil war on India's defence said three days after the Kargil war ended, the then Prime Minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, had set up a Kargil Review Committee headed by the father of External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and the report was tabled and discussed in Parliament asked whether such a committee was being set up now, especially in the wake of the Chief of Defence Staff's statements about the "losses."In his interview, the CDS declined to specify the losses in terms of numbers but pointed out the fact that the Indian military struck deep inside Pakistani territory, which New Delhi said, forced Islamabad to plead to stop the comments by the top military officer are the Indian military's first clear acknowledgement of losses in the four-day army clashes with the neighbouring media and publicity department head Pawan Khera said, "These issues should be discussed by calling a Special Session, taking everyone in confidence...""As America announced a ceasefire, the leaders went abroad to discuss Operation Sindoor. Who will answer the questions? The answers should not come from the armed forces, but the government," he said the armed forces are strong and they did what was required, but asked under what pressure the 'ceasefire' was done."Where are the terrorists of the Pahalgam attack? What were the conditions for the ceasefire? What CDS said was shocking. Now there should be clarity. They should call the Special Session and answer the questions," Khera asked, as he posed several questions to the Deputy Leader in the Rajya Sabha Pramod Tiwari, also said that the public deserves a cohesive answer on the latest armed conflict."The entire country is asking, the leaders are speaking differently, on the other hand, the CDS spoke otherwise abroad, accepting that our jet was downed. The government should clarify."That is why we are demanding a Special Session of Parliament for talks, and an all-party meeting can be called. The PM, on the other hand, has been bent on politicising the valour shown by the armed forces in four days," he President Mallikarjun Kharge had on Saturday accused the government of misleading the nation on the India-Pakistan also said his party demands a comprehensive review of India's defence preparedness by an independent expert committee.
India Today
11 hours ago
- Politics
- India Today
Why did defence chief speak from Singapore? Congress rebuke with Vajpayee lesson
Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Anil Chauhan's remarks on Operation Sindoor in Singapore, where he acknowledged India's military losses, merit serious study and warrant a broader political discussion, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Sunday. He stressed that the Defence Minister should have informed political parties about the losses before a military official revealed them Chauhan, who was in Singapore for the Shangri-La Dialogue, admitted in an interview with Bloomberg for the first time that an unspecified number of Indian fighter jets were downed during the recent hostilities with Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Ramesh reiterated the party's demand for a comprehensive review of India's defence preparedness by an independent expert committee, similar to the Kargil Review Committee. 'Why did we have to wait for statements from Singapore? We are supposed to be the mother of democracy. The issues that Gen Chauhan raised are critical and they impinge not just on military strategy but also on foreign policy, economic policy, and diplomatic strategy,' the Congress general secretary told news agency ANI. He stressed that the Defence Minister should have conveyed these details during the all-party meetings held after Operation Sindoor.'It would have been better if what Gen Chauhan has now said was instead conveyed by the Defence Minister during the two all-party meetings he chaired. The information shared by Gen Chauhan should have been presented to opposition leaders, and a special session of Parliament should have been convened,' Ramesh Congress leader pointed out that just three days after the Kargil war ended in July 1999, Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee had set up a Kargil Review Committee, noting that the father of current External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar was one of the four members who prepared the added that though there are military matters which only the military can address, there are also political issues that must be taken up, such as the growing nexus between China and Pakistan.'All we asked was for the Prime Minister to chair an all-party meeting and convene a session of Parliament. The revelations made by Gen Chauhan yesterday in Singapore make our demand even more relevant now. The outcome of such a session should be a resolution that reiterates the February 22, 1994 resolution on POK, while also incorporating new elements,' Ramesh said. During India's Operation Sindoor, which was launched after the Pahalgam attacks, Pakistan had claimed that it had downed six Indian fighter jets, a claim India had previously Chauhan categorically rejected Pakistan's assertion that it had shot down six Indian jets, including four Rafales, calling it 'absolutely incorrect'."What is important is that, not the jet being down, but why they were being down... Why they were down, what mistakes were made - that are important. Numbers are not important," General Chauhan another interview with news agency Reuters, the top military official specified that the losses occurred in the initial stage of India's Watch IN THIS STORY#Operation Sindoor#India-Pakistan#Pakistan#Indian National Congress
India Gazette
11 hours ago
- Politics
- India Gazette
Why did we have to wait for Gen Chauhan to make these revelations from Singapore?: Jairam Ramesh questions Govt over CDS' statements
New Delhi [India], June 1 (ANI): Congress MP Jairam Ramesh on Sunday expressed disappointment that the Defence Minister did not share crucial information with opposition leaders in two all-party meetings, following recent comments made by Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) Gen Anil Chauhan in Singapore. He further questioned why the government waited for Gen Chauhan to make these revelations rather than share the information with opposition leaders and convene a special session of Parliament. 'It would have been better that what he has spoken, the Defence Minister should have said in the two all-party meetings he had chaired... Whatever Gen Chauhan has said, this information should have been shared with the opposition leaders, and a special session of the Parliament should have been convened. We had to wait for General Chauhan to make these revelations from Singapore...' Ramesh told ANI. The Congress leader also highlighted the importance of the Kargil Review Committee report, which was presented to the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government in 1999, when it formed a Kargil review committee under Indian journalist and international strategic affairs analyst K Subrahmanyam, just three days after the war ended and tabled in Parliament in 2000. 'Three days after the Kargil war ended, Prime Minister Vajpayee set up a Kargil Review Committee... The report was prepared by four members, including the father of EAM Dr S Jaishankar... There were four members: K Subramaniam, General Hazari, B.G. Varghese, and Satish Chandra. (And on 15 December 1999, they presented their report to the Vajpayee government. And on 23 February 2000, that report was presented in the Parliament. Look, this is the report. 'From Surprise to Reckoning' Kargil Review Committee. December 15, 1999. This is a 150-page report that was tabled in Parliament.', Ramesh said. He stated that while military issues require specialised discussion, political issues, such as the nexus between China and Pakistan, must be addressed in all-party meetings with the Prime Minister. 'There are military issues which only the military can discuss, but there are political issues... This nexus between China and Pakistan, which became very apparent during Op Sindoor, needs to be addressed in the all-party meeting with the Prime Minister in the chair... Why did we have to wait for statements from Singapore? We are supposed to be the mother of democracy... The issues that Gen Chauhan raised are critical and they impinge not just on military strategy, they impinge on foreign policy, economic strategy, and diplomatic strategy...' Earlier, speaking to Reuters on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, the CDS admitted that the Armed Forces had suffered losses in the initial stages of the operation but then struck with impunity at Pakistan's bases. 'So what I can say is, on May 7 and the initial stages, there were losses, but the numbers and that's not important. What was important is why did these losses occur, and what will we do after that? So we rectified the tactics and then went back on seventh, eighth and 10th, and 10th in large numbers, to hit their bases deep inside Pakistan, penetrated all their defences with impunity, with scattered opposition strikes,' Gen Chauhan was quoted as saying by Reuters. Earlier, on May 11, Director General Air Operations Air Marshal Bharti, when commenting on Aircraft losses, had said, 'I can't comment about loss of aircraft as we are in a combat scenario and losses are part of combat.' Meanwhile, speaking to Reuters, General Chauhan dismissed Pakistan's claims that India ceased aerial operations after May 7, stating that India's response became more sustained and powerful. Indian fighter jets, drones, and missiles struck 11 Pakistani air bases on May 10, including one near the Pakistani capital Islamabad, the Nur Khan airbase, when the residents surrounding were able to witness a sort of 'new dawn' in the middle of the night, as PM Narendra Modi put forth during his speech following the cessation of hostilities at Adampur airbase. Satellite imagery, both from Indian sources and global platforms, later confirmed the precision of these strikes as well as how devastating they have been. After India carried out strikes on terror bases in Pakistan, the Pakistani side responded by attempting to target defence and civilian installations in India. India then carried out another series of precision attacks, which saw the destruction of several Pakistani air bases. An understanding on the cessation of hostilities was then reached between the two sides on May 10. (ANI)
Time of India
13 hours ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Why did we have to wait for Gen Chauhan to make revelations from Singapore? Cong questions govt over Op Sindoor
Live Events (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel Congress MP Jairam Ramesh on Sunday expressed disappointment that the Defence Minister did not share crucial information with opposition leaders in two all-party meetings , following recent comments made by Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) Gen Anil Chauhan in further questioned why the government waited for Gen Chauhan to make these revelations rather than share the information with opposition leaders and convene a special session of Parliament."It would have been better that what he has spoken, the Defence Minister should have said in the two all-party meetings he had chaired... Whatever Gen Chauhan has said, this information should have been shared with the opposition leaders, and a special session of the Parliament should have been convened. We had to wait for General Chauhan to make these revelations from Singapore..." Ramesh told Congress leader also highlighted the importance of the Kargil Review Committee report, which was presented to the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government in 1999, when it formed a Kargil review committee under Indian journalist and international strategic affairs analyst K Subrahmanyam, just three days after the war ended and tabled in Parliament in 2000."Three days after the Kargil war ended, Prime Minister Vajpayee set up a Kargil Review Committee... The report was prepared by four members, including the father of EAM Dr S Jaishankar... There were four members: K Subramaniam, General Hazari, B.G. Varghese, and Satish Chandra. (And on 15 December 1999, they presented their report to the Vajpayee government. And on 23 February 2000, that report was presented in the Parliament. Look, this is the report. 'From Surprise to Reckoning' Kargil Review 15, 1999. This is a 150-page report that was tabled in Parliament.", Ramesh stated that while military issues require specialised discussion, political issues, such as the nexus between China and Pakistan, must be addressed in all-party meetings with the Prime Minister."There are military issues which only the military can discuss, but there are political issues... This nexus between China and Pakistan, which became very apparent during Op Sindoor, needs to be addressed in the all-party meeting with the Prime Minister in the chair... Why did we have to wait for statements from Singapore? We are supposed to be the mother of democracy... The issues that Gen Chauhan raised are critical and they impinge not just on military strategy, they impinge on foreign policy, economic strategy, and diplomatic strategy..."Earlier, speaking to Reuters on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, the CDS admitted that the Armed Forces had suffered losses in the initial stages of the operation but then struck with impunity at Pakistan's bases."So what I can say is, on May 7 and the initial stages, there were losses, but the numbers and that's not important. What was important is why did these losses occur, and what will we do after that? So we rectified the tactics and then went back on seventh, eighth and 10th, and 10th in large numbers, to hit their bases deep inside Pakistan, penetrated all their defences with impunity, with scattered opposition strikes," Gen Chauhan was quoted as saying by on May 11, Director General Air Operations Air Marshal Bharti, when commenting on Aircraft losses, had said, "I can't comment about loss of aircraft as we are in a combat scenario and losses are part of combat."Meanwhile, speaking to Reuters, General Chauhan dismissed Pakistan's claims that India ceased aerial operations after May 7, stating that India's response became more sustained and powerful. Indian fighter jets, drones, and missiles struck 11 Pakistair bases on May 10, including one near the Pakistani capital Islamabad, the Nur Khan airbase, when the residents surrounding were able to witness a sort of 'new dawn' in the middle of the night, as PM Narendra Modi put forth during his speech following the cessation of hostilities at Adampur imagery, both from Indian sources and global platforms, later confirmed the precision of these strikes as well as how devastating they have India carried out strikes on terror bases in Pakistan, the Pakistani side responded by attempting to target defence and civilian installations in India. India then carried out another series of precision attacks, which saw the destruction of several Pakistani air bases. An understanding on the cessation of hostilities was then reached between the two sides on May 10.
Indian Express
a day ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
Reveal truth to country: Congress to govt after CDS' remarks on losses in Operation Sindoor
The Congress asked the government on Saturday to truthfully tell the country what losses were suffered during the four-day conflict with Pakistan after Chief of Defence Staff Gen Anil Chauhan acknowledged aircraft loss in the hostilities. Gen Chouhan, however, dismissed as 'absolutely incorrect' Islamabad's claim of downing six Indian jets. Latching on to the comment by the chief of defence staff (CDS), Congress leader Uttam Kumar Reddy said the country wanted to know whether any aircraft were downed during the conflict, especially in the wake of the CDS' 'admission'. Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said that on July 29, 1999, the Vajpayee government set up the Kargil Review Committee under the chairmanship of 'India's strategic affairs guru K Subrahmanyam, whose son is now our external affairs minister'. This was just three days after the Kargil war ended, he said. 'The committee submitted its detailed report five months later. The report titled 'From Surprise to Reckoning' was then laid on the Table of both Houses of Parliament on February 23, 2000, after the necessary redactions. 'Will the Modi government now take a similar step in light of what the Chief of Defence Staff has just revealed in Singapore?' Ramesh posed in a post on X. Soon after CDS Gen Chouhan's remarks, made during an interview with Bloomberg TV, got published, Reddy took the opportunity to say, 'It appears very clearly a Rafale fighter aircraft was downed in the four-day operations.' 'Today, an hour ago, CDS Gen Chauhan has confirmed that a Rafale aircraft was brought down in the four-day operation. The fact that the fighter aircraft were down is something that the Government of India needs to stop denying. The CDS himself mentioned that.' At a press conference, the Congress leader said, 'Earlier, Air Marshal (Awadesh Kumar) Bharti had mentioned it indirectly in his briefing along with the DGMO. He specifically said that 'losses are normal in combat; the mission objective of the operation has been achieved, and all pilots have come home'.' He said when Rahul Gandhi first pointed it out in a question to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, it was 'very bizarre and strange' that the ruling party functionaries at all levels accused him of not being patriotic. 'We are happy that the objectives (of Operation Sindoor) have been achieved, but the fact that the fighter aircraft were down is something that needs to be… the Government of India should stop denying that. The CDS himself has mentioned it and Air Marshall Bharti had also done so,' Reddy said. The Telangana minister reiterated that the Congress supports the Indian armed forces in every endeavour. 'The party congratulates them as they have done a great job and we are proud of them, we salute them,' he said. 'Today the whole country must realise that for some reason the Government of India were not upfront with whatever happened. The other thing that needs reassessment by the government is that most of the firing in the four-day operation was done by respective countries from within their borders; still, we lost our aircraft. 'I think, this needs serious reassessment of technology so that lessons are learnt and we go forward and improve in those aspects,' Reddy, a former IAF pilot, said. He refuted allegations that his party was playing politics over the issue and said that after every war or conflict, all nation discloses what losses they inflicted on the enemy and what losses they suffered. 'We are not playing politics. We are proud of our armed forces's decisive victory over Pakistan. We want to know the truth about the reverses for lessons for future conflicts.' 'The moot point is every time we have raised this, they have said we are anti-patriotic, anti-national. Are they going to accuse Gen Chauhan of this now,' he posed. Reddy claimed the government was trying to, somehow, not come out clearly with what really has happened. 'We feel the government must be more transparent on every significant event that took place throughout the India-Pak operation,' he said, adding the way forward must be clear and transparent. 'We are very proud of our armed forces and we have seen the satellite pictures. Please tell us how many Pakistan Air Force aircraft you have downed and Indian aircraft that were down. 'A government has to be transparent. Accountability is normal in a democracy. This is not about patriotism. We are more patriotic. Our first family, the Gandhi family, have suffered and have made huge sacrifices for the integrity of the country and these people question us. This is really shocking,' the Congress leader said. Gen Chauhan, in the interview, asserted it is more important to find out why the aircraft were lost so that the Indian military could improve tactics and hit back again. 'I think what is important is not the jet being downed but why they were being downed,' he said. The CDS was asked whether India lost combat jets during the four-day military clashes with Pakistan earlier this month. 'The good part is that we were able to understand the tactical mistakes which we made; remedied, rectified and then implemented it again after two days. We flew all our jets again targeting at long range,' he said. 'Absolutely incorrect,' Gen Chauhan said when asked about Pakistan's claim of shooting down six Indian jets during Operation Sindoor. Previously, Indian Air Force's Director General of Air Operations, Air Marshall AK Bharti, acknowledged that 'losses are a part of combat' and said all IAF pilots returned home safely. Air Marshall Bharti made the remarks at a media briefing on May 11 when asked about Indi'a aircraft losses during Operation Sindoor. Gen Chauhan is in Singapore to participate in the Shangri-La Dialogue. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Saturday accused the government of misleading the nation on the India-Pakistan conflict and demanded holding a special session of Parliament immediately, following Chief of Defence Staff Gen Anil Chauhan's acknowledgement of aircraft loss in the hostilities. In a post on X, Kharge said his party demands a comprehensive review of India's defence preparedness by an independent expert committee, on the lines of the survey done by the Kargil Review Committee. 'In the wake of the remarks made by the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) in Singapore in an interview, there are some very important questions that need to be asked. These can only be done if a special session of the Parliament is immediately convened,' he said. 'The Modi Government has misled the nation. The fog of war is now clearing.' The Congress chief said the IAF pilots risked their lives fighting the enemy, and 'suffered some losses but our pilots were safe'. The Congress president said his party salutes their resolute courage and bravery. However, a comprehensive strategic review is the need of the hour, he asserted. 'The Congress party demands a Comprehensive Review of our Defence Preparedness by an independent expert committee, on the lines of the Kargil Review Committee,' he said. Citing Donald Trump's statements, Kharge said the US president has again repeated his claim about 'brokering a ceasefire'. 'This is a direct affront to the Shimla Agreement. Instead of clarifying Mr Trump's repeated assertions, and the affidavit filed by the US Secretary of Commerce in the United States Court of International Trade, PM Modi is on an election blitz, taking personal credit for the valour of our Armed Forces, hiding behind their bravery and dodging the contours of the agreed ceasefire, which the Foreign Secretary announced on May 10, after Trump's tweet,' Kharge noted in his post. 'Is India and Pakistan now again hyphenated? What are the conditions of the ceasefire agreement? The 140 crore patriotic Indians deserve to know this,' the Congress chief asserted. In a separate post on X, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh also asked, 'It is an extraordinary and telling commentary on Emergency@11 that the PM will not chair all-party meetings and will not take Parliament into confidence but the nation gets to know of the first phase of Operation Sindoor through the CDS's interview in Singapore.' 'Couldn't opposition leaders have been taken into confidence by the PM earlier?' he asked.
