New Delhi, 30 June (H.S.):

The Congress on Tuesday sought privilege proceedings against Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, citing his statement made in the Lok Sabha last year on Operation Sindoor.

Congress General Secretary (Organisation) K.C. Venugopal wrote to the Lok Sabha Speaker, alleging that the Defence Minister had told the House in July 2025 that the Indian Army had suffered no casualties during Operation Sindoor. However, the Army later publicly disclosed that six soldiers had been martyred during the operation. He alleged that the statement amounted to misleading Parliament.

Sharing details of his letter on social media platform X, Venugopal accused the Defence Minister of making a false statement during the Lok Sabha debate on Operation Sindoor. He questioned how it could have been stated in July 2025 that no Indian soldier had been martyred when, a year later, the armed forces themselves acknowledged the sacrifice of six personnel.

Venugopal said the delay in revealing the names of the six fallen soldiers was an insult to their families and to the armed forces, as the nation was not informed about their courage and supreme sacrifice.

To support his allegations, Venugopal also released an extract from the Lok Sabha proceedings dated July 28, 2025. According to the document he shared, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, while responding to questions raised by the Opposition, stated that if the question was whether Operation Sindoor had been successful, the answer was yes. He further said that if the question was whether the armed forces had eliminated the masterminds behind the terrorists who had wiped away the sindoor of our sisters and daughters, the answer was also yes.

According to the same parliamentary record, the Defence Minister then said that if the question was whether India's brave soldiers had suffered any casualties during the operation, the answer was no.

Venugopal argued that this statement directly contradicts the subsequent disclosure of the six soldiers' deaths. He said the reply given in Parliament did not correspond with the actual facts and therefore constituted a breach of parliamentary privilege.

In his letter, Venugopal stated that under established parliamentary conventions and rules, if a minister misleads the House or withholds material information, it amounts to a breach of privilege and contempt of Parliament. He urged the Lok Sabha Speaker to initiate privilege proceedings against Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.

The Congress leader said Parliament is the highest forum of democratic accountability, and ministers are expected to place complete and accurate information before the House. He alleged that if information relating to the sacrifice of soldiers was deliberately withheld, it would amount not only to misleading Parliament but also the people of the country.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar