Congress moves privilege notice against Rajnath Singh over Operation Sindoor

NEW DELHI: Congress MP KC Venugopal Tuesday moved a notice for breach of privilege against defence minister Rajnath Singh, accusing him of misleading Parliament by telling Lok Sabha that no Indian soldier was martyred during Operation Sindoor in 2025. Last week, a controversy erupted when the Centre stated that six soldiers died in attacks from Pakistan. The opposition seized upon the govt’s statement and cited the speech made by the minister in Lok Sabha to allege that he had misled the country. Tagging the proceedings of Lok Sabha to the petition, Venugopal wrote to Speaker Om Birla that breach of privilege proceedings should be initiated against the minister.

In his letter to Birla, Venugopal said that on July 28, 2025, during discussions on the terrorist attack in Pahalgam and Operation Sindoor that followed, Rajnath Singh said that no harm was caused to the Indian soldiers. However, in contrast, a statement has now been issued that said six armed forces personnel died during Operation Sindoor. Though moved by Congress, the privilege notice appears to have the concurrence of the opposition parties who joined hands in attacking the Modi govt after it made public the death of six soldiers. The issue is likely to figure in the upcoming monsoon session of Parliament.