NEW DELHI — India’s principal opposition party has demanded the immediate resignation of Defense Minister Rajnath Singh, accusing him of deliberately misleading parliament regarding armed forces casualties from a short, intense border conflict with Pakistan last year.
The Congress party stepped up its political offensive after names of six service members who lost their lives in the May 2025 escalation—internally designated by New Delhi as “Operation Sindoor”—silently appeared on the National War Memorial’s public database.The additions mark the first explicit, official confirmation of Indian fatalities resulting from the 2025 border clashes, presenting a stark contrast to previous legislative statements.
हमारी मांग-
⦿ रक्षा मंत्री राजनाथ सिंह को पद से हटाया जाए
⦿ रक्षा मंत्री के खिलाफ विशेषाधिकार हनन प्रस्ताव लाया जाए
⦿ राजनाथ सिंह के झूठ में साथ देने के लिए नरेंद्र मोदी और BJP सांसद माफी मांगें
⦿ अग्निवीर योजना को पूरी तरह से खत्म किया जाए: AICC एक्स-सर्विसमैन विभाग के… pic.twitter.com/pe4jCAhu9t
— Congress (@INCIndia) June 29, 2026
Addressing a press conference, senior Congress leaders condemned the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for using national security and military service as electoral tools while simultaneously hiding operational deaths from the public.
Opposition officials pointed directly to a July 2025 parliamentary debate where the defense minister assured lawmakers that no personnel had been harmed during the operation, a statement that drew widespread applause from ruling party benches at the time.
Further compounding the defense minister’s difficulties, Congress lawmaker K.C. Venugopal filed a formal breach of privilege notice with Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Tuesday, seeking to initiate contempt proceedings for hiding vital security details from the house.
Venugopal publically asserted that masking active operational casualties for over 13 months represents a severe insult to the families of the fallen service members and violates foundational democratic oversight rules.
In its defense, the Indian Ministry of Defence strongly pushed back against the accusations, stating that the casualties had been formally recognized through internal military citations and gallantry honors later that year.
Federal officials claimed that the minister’s specific remarks in parliament were misconstrued by critics on social platforms and were originally meant to dispel rumors regarding the downing of Indian Air Force fighter pilots during the height of the engagement.
The 2025 military crisis originally escalated following a fatal militant raid in Pahalgam, which prompted India to unilaterally suspend the Indus Waters Treaty and conduct cross-border airstrikes, triggering a rapid four-day cycle of aerial combat and retailatory strikes before an American-mediated ceasefire took effect.
