NEW DELHI: The Opposition on Monday sharply targeted the government in the Lok Sabha on alleged “security lapses” that led to the Pahalgam terror attack, saying Home Minister Amit Shah must take responsibility for it.
The opposition demanded answers on how many Indian jets were downed during Operation Sindoor and why PoK was not taken back.
Participating in a special discussion on Operation Sindoor, the Congress MPs questioned the government on the sudden halting of Operation Sindoor and asked “before whom did Prime Minister Narendra Modi surrender”.
Congress deputy leader in Lok Sabha Gaurav Gogoi asked when will India take back its Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) and also slammed the government over US President Donald Trump claiming “26 times” that he used trade to bring about a “ceasefire” between India and Pakistan.
The Congress leader said Prime Minister Modi has been saying since the Uri and Pulwama attacks that “humne ghar mein ghus ke mara”, “we destroyed terror infrastructure” and is making the same remarks even now after the “most horrendous” terror attack.
He said the Opposition wants to know from PM Modi that if Pakistan was ready to kneel before India, “why did you stop and before whom did you surrender?”
Gogoi alleged that the government was being evasive, non-transparent, and playing politics after the Pahalgam terror attack and military operation.
Gogoi asked, “Over 100 days have passed, and it is not clear what happened on April 22 in Pahalgam, where terrorists, donning Indian Army uniforms, waylaid a military convoy and killed five soldiers.
“The country is waiting for answers,” Gogoi said asking “How did terrorists enter dressed in soldier uniforms? Who was at fault for the intelligence failure?”
As he acknowledged the courage and sacrifice of soldiers who participated in Operation Sindoor, Gogoi left no doubt that the Congress was not criticising the military, but the government’s lack of accountability.
The Congress MP condemned what he referred to as the government’s “narrative-driven” attitude towards Operation Sindoor. Suggesting the operation had been “spun into a media show,” Gogoi stated that there were still serious questions regarding its planning, aims, and ultimate suspension.
“If the operation was a success, why was it suspended so suddenly? Was there pressure from the foreign powers? Was it a strategic or political call?” he questioned.
Additionally, he directly targeted the controversy generated by reports that Indian Rafales were downed in the operation. Gogoi accused that more effort was being devoted to refuting these reports in the form of press releases and fact-checks than to tackling the basic issues of national security.
Gogoi stated, “The country does not require silence at the highest office. The Prime Minister needs to speak.” He has to approach this House and report to the nation what went on in Pahalgam, what was accomplished in Operation Sindoor, and what lessons were drawn from it.”
Noting that US President Donald Trump has claimed 26 times that he used the threat of trade to bring about a “ceasefire” between India and Pakistan, he said the American leader has also claimed five to six jets have been downed.
“That is why we want to know from the defence minister, the country has the courage to listen to the truth, he must answer as to how many fighter jets were downed,” Gogoi asked.
He also asked why Defence Minister Rajnath Singh did not name China during his address in the Lok Sabha and said he must disclose how much support that country was providing to Pakistan during Operation Sindoor.
Referring to Singh’s speech, Gogoi said he gave a lot of information, but did not say, as the defence minister, how the terrorists came to Pahalgam.
Taking on the home minister, he said he made claims that the backbone of terrorism has been broken, but the Uri and Pahalgam incidents still happened.
“Who will take responsibility, the (Jammu and Kashmir) Lieutenant Governor? It is the home minister who must take responsibility. You cannot hide behind the LG. This government is ... so weak that it blamed even tour operators for the Pahalgam attack,” the Congress leader said.
Congress MP Deepender Singh Hooda demanded that India should not play cricket with Pakistan at a time when Operation Sindoor is going on.
The Rohtak MP added that the government should disclose the “terms of the ceasefire” with Pakistan.
Taking on the government for halting Operation Sindoor at a time when India’s security forces had an edge, TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee questioned the announcement of “ceasefire” and likened it to a player “declaring the innings” on the brink of scoring a century.
“... Have you ever heard that a player batting at 90 and heading towards a century, declare the innings. Only Modiji can do this, no one else... It was a matter of completing 100 runs, ended up being at 90,” he said.
He also asked why PM Modi did not “counter” Trump “even once” on his claims made in a social media post on the role of the US in reaching the ceasefire.
NCP (SP) member Supriya Sule questioned the government’s handling of Operation Sindoor, saying it cannot be called a success until the terrorists responsible for Pahalgam are caught.
Sule said Kashmir, once seen as paradise, had become a nightmare for many and mere compensation without jobs or accountability was not enough.
Samajwadi Party MP Ramashankar Rajbhar said the country wanted “Operation Tandoor” after the Pahalgam terror attack to roast the terrorist responsible for it, and not Operation Sindoor.
He accused the government of failing to act decisively and questioned the “delay” in the operation, saying that a mission that should have been initiated in three days was carried out after 17 days.
“The country was so angry (over the Pahalgam attack) that by the third day, people wanted not Operation Sindoor, but Operation Tandoor, that is to throw the terrorists into that tandoor. But instead, the operation happened 17 days later.”
“Were those who carried out the Pahalgam attack among the 100 terrorists (killed during the operation)? That’s the real question,” he asked while lauding the country for displaying unity and foiling the enemy’s plan of inciting riots.
On Trump’s claims of bringing a ceasefire, he said, “The real Vishwaguru was sitting in the White House,” he said.
Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Arvind Sawant said India should refrain from playing cricket with Pakistan in view of the ongoing tension with the neighbouring country.
Sawant also wondered why India stopped the war with Pakistan without imposing any conditions when the neighbouring country “was on its knees begging for a ceasefire”. “If India was in the vantage position, then what stopped the country from reclaiming Pakistan-occupied Kashmir,” he said, adding this was an opportune time to teach Pakistan a lesson like India Gandhi had done during the 1971 war.
With Agency Inputs