Congress seeks Rajnath Singh’s removal over Operation Sindoor casualty remarks.
Party alleges 10 soldiers died and plans a privilege motion.
Congress renews demand to scrap the Agnipath recruitment scheme.
The Congress has demanded the removal of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, accusing him of misleading Parliament by claiming that no Indian soldier was martyred during Operation Sindoor. The party called the remark an insult to the country's fallen soldiers and said it would pursue a privilege motion against him.
Addressing a press conference at party headquarters in New Delhi on Sunday, Colonel Rohit Chaudhary, chairman of the Congress's ex servicemen department, and retired Wing Commander Anuma Acharya said Singh had made a false statement in Parliament on 28 July 2025 regarding casualties from the operation. They demanded an apology from the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Defence Minister and the BJP leadership to the families of the martyrs, the armed forces and the nation, and repeated the party's call for the Agnipath recruitment scheme to be scrapped entirely.
The leaders also questioned why it took thirteen months for the names of soldiers killed during the operation, which concluded in May 2025, to be made public, calling it a compromise on national security. Chaudhary claimed ten soldiers had died during the operation, adding that while six names had recently been added to the National War Memorial website and the memorial at India Gate, four remained missing.
The party also linked the operation's background to the Pahalgam terror attack, which Chaudhary described as a major security failure falling under the Centre's responsibility given Jammu and Kashmir's status as a Union Territory. He alleged that intelligence agencies under the Union Home Ministry had ignored prior warnings, noting that Home Minister Amit Shah had reviewed security between 6 and 8 April 2025 shortly before the attack occurred. Chaudhary further argued that India had missed a chance to reclaim Pakistan occupied Kashmir owing to weak diplomacy, while Pakistan gained diplomatically and financially in the aftermath.
Acharya criticised the government's conduct of the operation, saying External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar's early assurance that India would strike only terrorist infrastructure had cost the air force the element of surprise. She cited remarks attributed to Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan and a defence attache in Jakarta to suggest political pressure had contributed to damage to Indian aircraft, and criticised the eventual ceasefire following intervention by US President Donald Trump.
The Congress also raised concerns over unequal benefits for Agniveer families, saying the scheme would be abolished if the party returned to power.
