The Defence Ministry has also accused critics of selectively quoting Mr. Singh’s statement in Parliament in July 2025 to falsely suggest that he had claimed no Indian soldier had died during Operation Sindoor. File
| Photo Credit: ANI
Stepping up its attack on the Centre over the deaths of six military personnel during Operation Sindoor, the Congress on Monday (June 29, 2026) demanded the resignation of Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, accusing him of “lying” in Parliament by stating that no Indian soldier had been killed in the operation.
The party also demanded an apology from Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Addressing a press conference, chairperson of the Congress’s Ex-servicemen Department Col. Rohit Chaudhry (Retd.) and Wing Commander Anuma Acharya (Retd.) alleged that by concealing the deaths of six personnel — five from the Indian Army and one from the Indian Air Force — during the May 2025 operation, the Narendra Modi government had denied them due public recognition and honour.
Wing Commander Acharya claimed that previous governments had publicly honoured every soldier who made the supreme sacrifice, and accused the present dispensation of “politicising the armed forces”.
“The Modi government, which politicises the army and soldiers, has repeatedly betrayed the country and the soldiers,” she said.
Col. Chaudhry accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of using “soldiers as props” while seeking votes in the name of the armed forces.
“When Defence Minister Rajnath Singh was lying in Parliament that no soldier had been martyred, BJP MPs were clapping. Rajnath Singh has insulted the country’s army and soldiers. We demand his resignation,” Col. Chaudhry said.
Mr. Singh had “insulted” the soldiers who laid down their lives during Operation Sindoor, he alleged, and questioned why it had taken 13 months for their names to be made public.
“The foundation of the Modi government is built on lies. They have no right to remain in power,” he said.
Listing the party’s demands, Col. Chaudhry said the Congress would urge its leadership to move a breach of privilege motion against the Defence Minister.
He also called on Mr. Modi and BJP MPs to publicly apologise for backing what he described as Mr. Singh’s “lies”, and reiterated the Congress’s demand for the scrapping of the Agnipath recruitment scheme.
The controversy intensified after the government recently disclosed the names of the martyred soldiers, when they were inscribed on the National War Memorial, more than a year after the operation.
The government has rejected the Opposition’s charge, maintaining that the nation had paid tribute to the fallen personnel at the “earliest opportunity”, and that their memory has been honoured with the dignity and reverence it deserves.
The Defence Ministry has also accused critics of selectively quoting Mr. Singh’s statement in Parliament in July 2025 to falsely suggest that he had claimed no Indian soldier had died during Operation Sindoor. Social media posts had misrepresented the Minister’s remarks by taking them out of context, the Defence Ministry said.
Published – June 29, 2026 10:50 pm IST
