Congress in charge of communications, Jairam Ramesh. File
| Photo Credit: Shiv Kumar Pushpakar
Seeking a comprehensive official review of Operation Sindoor, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Thursday (August 27, 2026) questioned what he described as conflicting statements by senior military officials on the extent of cooperation between Pakistan and China during the operation.
India had launched the operation against terror camps in Pakistan in May 2025 in response to the Pahalgam attack.
In a post on X, Mr. Ramesh shared two video clips and contrasted the remarks made by Deputy Chief of Army Staff Lt. Gen. Rahul Singh on July 4, 2025, and former Chief of Defence Staff Gen. Anil Chauhan on August 25, 2026.
‘Nation is confused’
Mr. Ramesh said Lt. Gen. Singh had revealed the very disturbingly deep nature of the Pakistan-China jugalbandi [close ties] during Operation Sindoor.
However, he said Gen. Chauhan’s more recent remarks on the same issue were simply opposite to what the Army officer had stated. “The nation is confused,” Mr. Ramesh said, asking, What is going on here?
He questioned whether there was a deeper plan to change the narrative surrounding Operation Sindoor, and linked the issue to what he alleged was the Modi government’s broader approach towards China.
“What is going on here? Is there some deeper plan to change the narrative? Is this part of the calibrated capitulation to China on the part of the Modi Govt that has been in clear evidence for a long while since the PM’s infamous clean chit to China on June 2020 and the record trade deficits with China that his Government has presided over?” he posted on X. “The nation needs to know,” he said.
The remarks come amid renewed political scrutiny of Operation Sindoor following Gen. Chauhan’s recent comments on the military operation and the nature of Pakistan-China cooperation then.
Mr. Ramesh has been calling for a comprehensive official review of Operation Sindoor, similar to the Kargil Review Committee constituted after the 1999 Kargil war, arguing that differing accounts from senior officials warrant a structured examination of the operation and its lessons.
Published – August 28, 2026 01:12 am IST
