THE security lapses that led to the Pahalgam attack, the failure to apprehend all the attackers, the claims by US President Donald Trump of having brokered peace between India and Pakistan, and the supposed losses of aircraft suffered by the armed forces – the Opposition raised all these issues during the debate on Operation Sindoor in the Lok Sabha Monday,
Starting the debate on the Opposition’s behalf, Congress Deputy Leader in the Lok Sabha Gaurav Gogoi said the Centre had withheld critical details, and asked how the terrorists had managed to carry out the killings on April 22.
“This is a war of information,” Gogoi said. “(Defence Minister) Rajnath Singh gave a lot of details, but couldn’t say how five terrorists reached Pahalgam. Twenty-six innocent people were killed and we still don’t know who helped the terrorists or how they fled… You have Pegasus, satellites, CRPF, BSF, CISF, and yet no answers after 100 days?”
Union Home Minister Amit Shah should take “moral responsibility” for the killings, Gogoi said. “You can’t hide behind the L-G (J&K Lieutenant Governor). And this government, rather than accepting lapses, blamed tour operators!”
He also criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for not visiting Pahalgam after cutting short his visit to Saudi Arabia and flying back, contrasting it with Rahul Gandhi. “Our leader went there. He is demanding martyr status for those killed,” the Congress MP said.
Questioning the government’s claim of having “dismantled the terror infrastructure” inside Pakistan, Gogoi said it did so after every terror attack, be it the 2016 Uri killings or the 2019 Pulwama attack, or now. “If Operation Sindoor is not complete (as the government has said), how can you call it a success?”
The Congress leader said the government decision’s to announce a ceasefire on May 10 had squandered an opportunity India had for territorial gains. “You say war, territorial gain were not your intention. Why not? When will we take POK (Pakistan Occupied Kashmir)?… Why did you stop if Pakistan was ready to get on its knees? Before whom did you surrender?”
Quoting Deputy Chief of Army Staff Lt Gen Rahul R Singh’s remarks, Gogoi said China had supported Pakistan during the conflict. “Why didn’t Rajnath Singh even mention China?” He also claimed that the government cut back on the decision to strike 21 targets, and alleged political constraints. “Why were only nine targets chosen out of 21?”
If India had lost Rafale aircraft, Gogoi said, “it’s a serious issue”. “Trump has claimed that five or six jets fell. How many did we lose?”
Samajwadi Party Ramashankar Rajbhar accused the government of failure in border management, saying: “Aakash bandho, paatal bandhi, lekin apni taati to baandho (Control the skies and the ground, but first secure your belongings). If the boundary was sealed, terrorists wouldn’t have entered.”
Rajbhar said the government failed to give an adequate response. “The country wanted Operation Tandoor (the destruction of terror bases) within three days (of the attack), not Operation Sindoor after 17 days.”
Raising Trump’s claims, he said: “We felt proud that our PM is Vishwaguru. But we found that Vishwaguru is sitting in America.”
Trinamool Congress MP Kalyan Banerjee said: “No one can take credit for Operation Sindoor except our soldiers. It is surprising how four terrorists came and killed 26 people. What were the BSF and CISF doing? What was the Home Minister doing?”
Questioning Modi’s “silence” on Trump’s claims, Banerjee said: “Why are you so afraid of the American President?”
He also sought to know from the government “when it was going to take POK”.
Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Arvind Sawant sought a probe into the security lapse leading to the Pahalgam terror attack, and referred to then J&K Governor Satypal Malik’s claim that his request that flights be provided for movement of soldiers had been ignored, resulting in the death of 40 CRPF personnel in an attack on a convoy in Pulwama in 2019.
Sawant also questioned why the PM was yet to visit Pahalgam since the incident, comparing it to his “absence” from Manipur since the crisis began there in 2023.
Sawant asked why “no country was standing with India” despite Pakistan’s role in Pahalgam being clear. “We kept telling the IMF not to give money to Pakistan as it would use it for terror. Yet it got the funds?” the Sena (UBT) MP said, adding that any cricket matches with Pakistan should be cancelled.
Congress MP Deepender Singh Hooda focused on the timing and rationale of the ceasefire. “If Pakistan was on its knees, why stop? Who brokered the ceasefire and on what terms?” he asked.
He also questioned the government’s strategy in declaring that only terror camps were hit and not military targets. “That was a strategic mistake. You ended up giving the Pakistan Army a clean chit,” Hooda said, going on to ask why the government felt the need to send all-party delegations across countries in a bid for support in the wake of the attack, if our foreign policy was as robust as claimed.
Congress MP Praniti Sushilkumar Shinde sought to draw a link between terror attacks and polls. Referring to Rome’s Colosseum which, she said, was built to keep the public involved in sports and entertainment, and divert their attention from core issues, Shinde alleged the government appeared to be doing the same.
“Just before an important election, a terrorist attack takes place, followed by a retaliatory action by the government. The government has no idea where the terrorists came from or where they went. But we want to attack a neighbouring country and use that as a basis to gather votes,” she said.
In her speech, the NCP (SP)’s Supriya Sule said, “Justice will not be done till you don’t nab the terrorists. We cannot celebrate.” She also said that Amit Shah is seen as an “assertive” Home Minister and hence people have expectations with him.
Sule suggested that just as the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government had set up a committee after Kargil War, the Modi government should seek a report on Operation Sindoor and table it on the floor of Parliament.
RJD MP Abhay Kumar Sinha raised questions over local law enforcement. “Did the government probe why police security was not available when the incident happened at Pahalgam, and who was responsible for that?” he said.
