Modi hails Operation Sindoor, opposition questions government’s political will

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday declared Operation Sindoor a resounding success, claiming that the Indian Armed Forces avenged the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack “within 22 minutes” by striking terror launchpads.

Addressing the Lok Sabha during a special discussion on the military operation, he hailed the offensive as a “Vijay Utsav” — a celebration of India’s unity, strength, and military prowess.

“In the intervening night of May 6-7, India took action just as decided. Our armed forces avenged 22nd April within 22 minutes with precision attacks... We destroyed terrorist camps...,” the Prime Minister said.

Calling the April 22 massacre — in which 26 civilians were killed in Pahalgam — a “well-planned attempt” to incite riots, Modi said the government had responded with “a free hand” to the Armed Forces. “This is a ‘Vijay Utsav’ of those who reduced terror HQs to rubble,” he added.

Modi also lashed out at the Congress, accusing it of not supporting the armed forces. “We got the support of countrymen, support of countries, but it is unfortunate the armed forces didn’t get the support of the Congress party. They were trying to score political points at the cost of innocent lives,” he said.

Backing the Prime Minister’s stance, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said Operation Sindoor would continue with “no full stop”, likening India’s approach to feeding milk to snakes only on Nag Panchami — not every day.

Criticising previous governments for failing to respond decisively to terror attacks, Singh claimed Operation Sindoor had killed over 100 terrorists and redefined India’s military posture. “The Indian citizen is no longer a vulnerable citizen of a soft country, but a proud citizen of a strong state,” he declared.

However, the Opposition raised serious concerns over the government’s strategy. Calling the Pahalgam attack an "intelligence failure", Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge, called on Home Minister Amit Shah to take responsibility for the attack.

Speaking during the debate in the Upper House, Kharge raised questions on the accountability of the government, further claiming repeated intelligence lapses in the country since the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to rule.

Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi claimed the government’s handling of the operation showed a lack of political will.

He alleged that political interference led to the loss of Indian fighter jets. “Our air force made no mistake; the mistake was made by the political leadership that said you cannot attack the military infrastructure,” he said.

Trinamool Congress MP Saayoni Ghosh also targeted the government, questioning the intelligence failure that allowed terrorists to reach the Pahalgam site undetected. “You should have removed the IB chief and sent a message that there’s no compromise on security lapses,” she said.

She said that despite being in an advantageous position during Operation Sindoor, the Indian government succumbed to external pressure and interference in the internal matters of the country.

As Parliament wrapped up the discussion, the ruling and opposition benches remained sharply divided — one projecting Operation Sindoor as a milestone in India’s counter-terror doctrine, and the other questioning the government’s intent and execution.

- with inputs from IANS, ANI