KC Venugopal Moves Privilege Motion Against Rajnath Singh Over Operation Sindoor Remarks

By Mahima Katal

New Delhi: Congress Lok Sabha MP KC Venugopal on Tuesday wrote to Speaker Om Birla seeking the initiation of breach of privilege proceedings against Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, alleging that he misled the House by stating that no Indian soldiers were killed during Operation Sindoor.

In a post on X, Venugopal alleged that Singh, during the Lok Sabha debate on Operation Sindoor in July 2025, had claimed that no Indian soldier was martyred during the operation.

"In the debate in Lok Sabha on Operation Sindoor, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh lied to the people of India. It was a straightforward, clear-cut lie — to mislead the House. How could he, in July 2025, say that no Indian soldier was martyred, and then a year later the forces announce that we have lost six jawans?" Venugopal wrote.

He further alleged that the government's stand was "a grave insult" to the families of the six personnel who lost their lives and to the armed forces.

"The soldiers died in service of the nation, while defending it against our enemies, and the so-called nationalist Government simply lied about their martyrdom," he said.

In his notice to the Speaker, Venugopal argued that Singh's statement was contradicted by the subsequent official recognition of six armed forces personnel who were martyred during Operation Sindoor. The personnel named in the notice are Subedar Major Pawan Kumar, Rifleman Sunil Kumar (Vir Chakra), Lance Naik Dinesh Kumar, Aviation Technician Mood Murlinaik, Havildar Sunil Kumar Singh, and Sergeant Surendra Kumar (Vayu Sena Medal).

"The aforementioned position clearly indicates that the Minister of Defence, while stating on the floor of the House that there had been no casualties during Operation Sindoor, was clearly misleading and incorrect," the notice stated.

Venugopal further argued that it is a well-established parliamentary principle that misleading the House or withholding material information by a minister constitutes a breach of privilege and contempt of the House, and requested that privilege proceedings be initiated against the Defence Minister.

The controversy comes after the names of the six security personnel who laid down their lives during Operation Sindoor in May 2025 were inscribed at the National War Memorial in New Delhi.

Operation Sindoor was launched by India in response to the terror attack in Pahalgam, targeting terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK). India subsequently carried out strikes on Pakistani airbases following military escalation by Islamabad.