Congress has escalated its confrontation with the government over the deaths of six military personnel during Operation Sindoor, demanding the resignation of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and accusing him of misleading Parliament.

The party has also sought an apology from Prime Minister Narendra Modi, intensifying the political storm surrounding the disclosure of casualties more than a year after the operation.

On 29 June 2026, senior Congress leaders Col. Rohit Chaudhry (Retd.), chairperson of the party’s Ex-servicemen Department, and Wing Commander Anuma Acharya (Retd.) addressed a press conference alleging that the government concealed the deaths of five Army soldiers and one Air Force officer during the May 2025 operation.

They argued that by withholding this information, the Modi government denied the fallen personnel due public recognition and honour. Wing Commander Acharya stated that previous governments had always publicly honoured every soldier who made the supreme sacrifice, and accused the present dispensation of politicising the armed forces.

She declared that the Modi government had “repeatedly betrayed the country and the soldiers” by using the military for political gain. Col. Chaudhry accused the Bharatiya Janata Party of treating soldiers as “props” while seeking votes in the name of the armed forces.

He alleged that when Rajnath Singh claimed in Parliament that no soldier had been martyred, BJP MPs applauded, thereby insulting the memory of those who laid down their lives. He demanded Singh’s resignation and questioned why it had taken 13 months for the names of the fallen to be made public.

Col. Chaudhry further asserted that the foundation of the Modi government was built on lies and declared that it had no right to remain in power. He announced that the Congress would urge its leadership to move a breach of privilege motion against the Defence Minister. He also called on Prime Minister Modi and BJP MPs to apologise publicly for backing what he described as Singh’s “falsehoods” and reiterated the party’s demand for the scrapping of the Agnipath recruitment scheme.

The controversy has deepened following the government’s recent decision to inscribe the names of the six martyred soldiers on the National War Memorial, more than a year after Operation Sindoor.

Critics argue that this delay reflects a lack of transparency and respect, while the government has rejected the charge, insisting that the nation paid tribute to the fallen personnel at the earliest opportunity and honoured their memory with dignity and reverence.

The Defence Ministry has strongly countered the Opposition’s allegations, accusing critics of selectively quoting Rajnath Singh’s statement in Parliament in July 2025 to falsely suggest that he had claimed no Indian soldier had died during the operation.

The ministry clarified that social media posts had misrepresented Singh’s remarks by taking them out of context, thereby fuelling the controversy. Officials emphasised that the sacrifices of the personnel have been recognised appropriately and that their memory continues to be revered.

The dispute highlights the political sensitivity surrounding Operation Sindoor, which was hailed as a decisive success by the government but has now become the subject of fierce partisan debate. The clash between the Congress and the BJP underscores broader tensions over the politicisation of the armed forces, the handling of military casualties, and the government’s recruitment policies.

Agencies