Parliament is gearing up for a fierce debate over Operation Sindoor and the Pahalgam terror attack on Monday. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is expected to address the Lok Sabha around noon, while Congress leader Gaurav Gogoi is likely to lead the debate from the Opposition’s side.
Ahead of the Parliament session, Gaurav Gogoi said, “…the government will have to tell the truth, today.”
Reacting to Congress leader P Chidambaram’s “no proof Pahalgam terrorists came from Pakistan” comment, Gogoi said, “He [Chidambaram] will be able to give more information on this.”
Chidambaram rakes up controversy
Hours before the Parliament debate on Operation Sindoor, P Chidambaram raked up controversy by alleging that the ruling BJP-led central government is reluctant to share key details on India’s military response to the 22 April terror attack in Pahalagam.
In a 27 July interview with the Quint news outlet, Chidambaram raised questions on whether the Government had taken any follow-up steps to prevent another Pahalgam.
“Where are the terrorist attackers? Why have you not apprehended them? Why have you not even identified them? Suddenly a news item emerges that we have arrested two or three people who gave them shelter. Now what happened to that?” Chidambaram asked.
The Congress leader said the government was “unwilling to disclose what the NIA has done all these weeks. Have they identified the terrorists, and where did they come from? I mean, for all we know, they could be homegrown terrorists. Why do you assume that they came from Pakistan? There’s no evidence of that. They are also hiding the losses.”
Sharing a clip from the interview on X, BJP’s IT cell head Amit Malviya said, “Once again, the Congress rushes to give a clean chit to Pakistan – this time after the Pahalgam terror attack.”
However, P Chidambaram’s son Karti posted an apparent response on X: “All those who are trigger happy & jumpy must watch the interview in its entirety before commenting. It’s a 40-minute interview FYI.”
Parliament debate on Pahalgam attack, Operation Sindoor
Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut reacted to Chidambaram’s remarks, saying, “Chidambaram sahib might be saying the right thing”. He also said that Home Minister Amit Shah should have resigned over the Pahalgam terror attack incident.
“The Pahalgam attack was a huge security lapse in Centre-governed J&K. The terrorists entered 400 km inside J&K. These terrorists have not been found yet. This is a lapse on the part of the Home Ministry. The Home Minister should have resigned,” Sanjay Raut said.
He also questioned the government over US President Donald Trump’s claims about the “US-brokered” ceasefire deal between India and Pakistan during the May conflict.
“I think the Prime Minister will not come as he will have to answer questions about President Trump,” he said.
Meanwhile, Samajwadi Party MP Akhilesh Yadav said, “Firstly, one has to accept that there are two separate issues. Firstly, we congratulate the Armed Forces for their bravery and valour during Operation Sindoor. If they had got a chance, they might have even taken PoK.”
“Before the Pahalgam attack, there was another incident that the public has not yet been informed about. The question is – why are terrorist incidents happening again and again under the BJP government? Where did the Pahalgam terrorists go? The government should answer where these terrorists went,” Yadav asked.
A fiery debate on the Pahalgam attack and Operation Sindoor is expected to unfold in Parliament between top leaders from the ruling alliance and the opposition.
Lok Sabha List of Business for Monday states, “Special Discussion on India’s strong, successful and decisive ‘Operation Sindoor’ in response to terrorist attack in Pahalgam”.
Twenty-six civilians were killed in the 22 April terror attack in Pahalgam in Jammu and Kashmir, after which India retaliated through precision strikes under Operation Sindoor, targeting terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).