KC Venugopal Files Privilege Motion Against Rajnath Singh Over Operation Sindoor Claims in Parliament

Congress MP KC Venugopal has submitted a privilege motion to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla against Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. Venugopal filed the notice under Rule 223 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in Lok Sabha.

The dispute centres on Singh's claim that no Indian soldiers died during Operation Sindoor which contradicts the recent official naming of six military personnel killed in the conflict. The Alappuzha MP submitted the notice after the government publicly disclosed the identities of the fallen soldiers.

Notice Over Casualties

Venugopal outlined the specific timeline in his letter to the Speaker. "On July 28, 2025, during the discussion on the terrorist attack in Pahalgam and Operation Sindoor, the Minister of Defence inter alia stated as follows," Venugopal said.

The government recently inscribed the names of five Indian Army soldiers and one Indian Air Force personnel on a wall at the National War Memorial in Delhi. This marked the first public disclosure of their identities. Venugopal highlighted the discrepancy in parliamentary records.

"The aforementioned position clearly indicates that the Minister of Defence stating on the floor of the House that there had been no casualties during Operation Sindoor was clearly misleading and incorrect. It is well established that misleading the House or withholding information by a Minister on the Floor of the House constitutes a breach of privilege and contempt of the House," Venugopal said.

He sought strict action against the minister. "In view of the foregoing, I request that privilege proceedings may be initiated against the Minister of Defence in the matter," Venugopal added.

Ministry Clarifies Stand

The Ministry of Defence clarified that social media platforms circulated distorted claims regarding Singh's statements. The ministry stated that these posts "selectively quoted an isolated portion of the speech to falsely imply that the defence minister claimed that no Indian soldier lost his life during Operation Sindoor".

During his Lok Sabha address on July 28, 2025, Singh addressed the casualties directly. "If you want to raise a question, then ask whether any of our brave soldiers were harmed in this operation. The answer is, no, none of our soldiers were harmed," Singh said.

Singh dismissed Opposition queries regarding military aircraft losses, asserting that such questions do "not adequately represent our national sentiments." He emphasised that the focus should remain on the operation's success in destroying terror bases, noting that the military paused the mission only after achieving all politico-military objectives.

Operation Sindoor

Indian forces launched Operation Sindoor on the night of May 6-7, 2025. The military targeted terror camps across Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. The strikes retaliated against the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, which killed 26 people, primarily civilians.

The conflict concluded on May 10, 2025, when India accepted a ceasefire request from Pakistan. The government maintains that the operation is only paused.