Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will open the long-anticipated debate on Operation Sindoor—India’s military response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack—in the Lok Sabha on Monday.
Joining him on behalf of the government are External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, BJP Vice-President Baijayant Jay Panda, and party MPs Tejaswi Surya, Sanjay Jaiswal, Anurag Thakur, and Kamaljeet Sehrawat.
On the opposition side, Congress Deputy Leader in Lok Sabha Gaurav Gogoi will lead the response, joined by key party leaders including Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Deepender Hooda, Praneet Shinde, Saptagiri Ulaka, and Bijendra Ola.
A diverse lineup of MPs from other parties will also participate. These include TDP leaders Lavu Srikrishna and Harish Balyogi (NDA allies), Samajwadi Party MPs Ramashankar Rajbhar and Chhotelal Kharwar, Trinamool Congress’ Kalyan and Sayoni Ghosh Banerjee, Kerala Congress MP K Francis George, DMK’s A Raja and K Kanimozhi, and NCPSP MP Amar Kale.
However, the debate, scheduled to begin at 12 PM, has been delayed amid repeated adjournments and protests by Opposition MPs. Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla adjourned the House for the third time till 2 PM, urging the Opposition to honour their demand for the discussion.
“The Opposition asked for a debate on Operation Sindoor. I gave assurance, the government gave assurance. I request again, let the discussion happen,” Birla stated before adjourning the House.
Outside the Lok Sabha, Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi briefly spoke to the press, saying, “If I speak, it will be inside (the House)… My opportunity is inside,” emphasizing that he would reserve his comments for the formal discussion.
Earlier in the day, both Houses met briefly at 12 PM, only to be adjourned amid continuous sloganeering.
Union Minister Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu expressed frustration during Question Hour, stating, “They have not even asked the question, how will I reply?”
Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju, meanwhile, urged the Opposition not to politicize the debate or echo sentiments that could be interpreted as supportive of adversaries. “I request the opposition, especially the Congress, not to speak Pakistan’s language. We must preserve the dignity of our armed forces,” Rijiju said.
Operation Sindoor, launched in response to the Pahalgam terror attack that claimed the lives of 26 civilians, involved precision strikes on terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. The Lok Sabha is set to dedicate 16 hours to the discussion, with an equal slot scheduled for the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday.
