'We were completely defeated on day 1': Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan stirs controversy over Operation Sindoor

Prithviraj Chavan

Former Maharashtra Chief Minister and senior Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan stirred controversy on Monday by speaking about Operation Sindoor.

"On the first day (of Operation Sindoor) we were completely defeated. In the half-hour aerial engagement that took place on the 7th, we were fully defeated, whether people accept it or not. Indian aircraft were shot down," he said.

"The Air Force was completely grounded, and not a single aircraft flew. If any aircraft had taken off from Gwalior, Bathinda, or Sirsa, there was a high probability of being shot down by Pakistan, which is why the Air Force was fully grounded," Chavan said, as quoted by ANI.

Furthermore, he questioned the need to maintain large military forces, stating that wars will be fought in the air.

"Recently, we saw during Operation Sindoor, there was not even a one-kilometre movement of the military. Whatever happened over two or three days was only an aerial war and missile warfare. In the future, too, wars will be fought in the same way. In such a situation, do we really need to maintain an army of 12 lakh soldiers, or can we make they do some other work?" he said.

The claims regarding Indian fighter jets being shot down during Operation Sindoor made rounds after a Defence Attache's statement. However, India has refuted reports regarding a presentation made by the Defence Attache at a seminar in Indonesia, saying that the remarks were "taken out of context" and are "misrepresenting the intention and thrust" of the presentation.

(With ANI inputs)