'Misled the nation': Kharge demands special Parliament session after CDS' Operation Sindoor remark

Kharge

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Saturday accused the Modi government of misleading the nation on recent conflict with Pakistan, following Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Anil Chauhan's statement over aircraft losses during the clashes.

He demanded an immediate special session of Parliament and called for a comprehensive, independent review of India’s defence preparedness.

"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. 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," he said.

He referred to CDS Chauhan’s remarks made during the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, where the General said India suffered some tactical setbacks but quickly rectified and resumed operations.

General Chauhan, however, dismissed as "absolutely incorrect" Islamabad's claim of downing six Indian jets.

He also criticized Prime Minister Narendra Modi for staying silent on international claims related to the conflict.

"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 said 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 added.

In a separate post, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh criticized the government’s communication strategy.

"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.

General Chauhan, when asked about the loss of jets, said it is more important to find out why the aircraft were lost so that the Indian military could improve tactics and hit back again.

"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

Earlier, Air Marshal AK Bharti, Director General of Air Operations, had stated that “losses are a part of combat,” and confirmed all IAF pilots returned safely during Operation Sindoor, launched after the April 22 terrorist attack in Pahalgam.

General Chauhan is currently in Singapore attending the Shangri-La Dialogue, Asia’s premier defense and security summit.