During a special discussion in the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday (July 29, 2025), on ‘India’s strong, successful and decisive ‘Operation Sindoor’ in response to terrorist attack in Pahalgam’, Opposition MPs asked the Union government to explain why the country had accepted a ceasefire with Pakistan when Pakistan had been on the backfoot.
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The “political leadership” of the country had failed to defend the “military leadership”, and no effort had been made to expose the “Pakistan-China nexus” at global forums, Opposition members alleged. They also questioned the silence of the BJP over a Madhya Pradesh Minister’s controversial comments on Colonel Sofiya Qureshi, and the social media attack on Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri and his daughter.
Ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) members and Ministers countered the arguments. Operation Sindoor had proved that giving a befitting answer to terrorism was the “new normal” for India, unlike in the past Congress governments that “did not retaliate” even after the terrorist attack in November 2008, they said.
India had accepted no third party intervention, and there had been no pressure from foreign powers to announce the ceasefire, Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, who initiated the debate, said.
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Three terrorists involved in the Pahalgam attack had been eliminated by defence forces, Mr. Singh told the House. India’s action was in self-defence, and it was not expansionist, he said. “India’s forces are capable of taking effective action against terrorism this side of the border, as well as on the other side. Pakistan has already witnessed this during Operation Sindoor,” Mr. Singh said, adding that if Pakistan was linked to any terror incidents in future, India would relaunch Operation Sindoor without hesitation.
Mr. Singh also condemned “nuclear blackmail” by Pakistan. “Some people think that since Pakistan has nuclear weapons, we must only negotiate with them. Because of this nuclear bluff, we have lost countless civilians. Our vision is that we will give a befitting reply,” he said, adding that Operation Sindoor displayed India’s new policy against terrorism, and ended the perception that India was a “soft state”. He said Pakistan’s Director General of Military Operations had requested India to stop the attacks, and India had accepted it on the condition that the operation would be suspended, not terminated.
The Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge posed four questions to the Union government, questioning why India accepted a ceasefire even when Pakistan was on the backfoot and what the terms of the ceasefire were. He asked the Centre whether the American government had intervened during Operation Sindoor and at whose behest.
He demanded an answer on the allegation that the Operation Sindoor had been stopped against the backdrop of trade threats, as claimed by U.S President Donald Trump. “Did the U.S. President broker this ceasefire as he is repeatedly claiming, and if so, isn’t this against India’s ‘no third party mediation’ policy?” Mr. Kharge said.
Mr. Kharge asked Union Home Minister Amit Shah to resign and taking moral responsibility for the “security lapse” in Pahalgam. “I would like to ask the Home Minister — who is responsible for this?…What did you do to rectify the mistake?…Vacate your post if you are [responsible]. If not, what action is the PM taking?” the Congress leader said.
Mr. Kharge said Prime Minister Narendra Modi and senior BJP leaders had remained silent when BJP MPs and Ministers had insulted India’s armed forces. Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) leader Tiruchi Siva and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MP Sanjay Singh also raised this issue, and said the Madhya Pradesh Minister had made insulting remarks about Ms. Qureshi. The silence of top leaders was an approval of the statement, Mr. Siva said. “How was she being interpreted? She was likened to the sister of militants, the terrorists in Pakistan,” he added.
The Supreme Court condemned such remarks, Mr. Siva said. “Did your party condemn it? Did your Prime Minister, did the leader who leads the nation, condemn that? It should not be done,” he said. Mr. Siva urged the BJP not to communalise “each and every thing”.
The government has asked everyone to applaud our brave soldiers, Mr. Singh said. “You asked us to bow to honour them and we bowed. What did you do? Your Minister of the BJP government in Madhya Pradesh says the Indian Army’s brave daughter Colonel Sofiya Qureshi is the sister of terrorists!” Mr. Siva said.
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The country’s political leadership did not provide the needed support to the military leadership, senior Congress MP P. Chidambaram said. Many global financial institutions had supported Pakistan with loans after the Pahalgam attacks, and the Indian government had not opposed it, he said. “Everyone condemned terrorism and sympathised with terror victims in India after the Pahalgam attack, but no country named and shamed Pakistan,” Mr. Chidambaram said, asking the government to take on the joint front of Pakistan, China, and some other players.
Published – July 29, 2025 11:37 pm IST
