‘If some Rafale jets were shot down…’: Gaurav Gogoi vs Rajnath Singh during Operation Sindoor debate
Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi questioned the Centre on Rafale jet loss reports and demanded clarity from defence minister Rajnath Singh.
Lok Sabha saw a fiery debate between defence minister Rajnath Singh and Congress leader Gaurav Gogoi over the Pahalgam terror attack and Operation Sindoor during Parliament's monsoon session on Monday.
Launching a sharp attack on the Centre, Gaurav Gogoi sought to know how many Rafale jets were shot down during India's Operation Sindoor against Pakistan.
“There are just 35 Rafale jets in India, and if some of them have been downed, I think it is a big loss,” Gogoi said after Rajnath Singh initiated the 16-hour-long discussion.
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Gogoi was referring to a statement of Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan, who had earlier said in an interview that India suffered initial losses in the air but declined to give details.
Gogoi further questioned the government's transparency, asking, “The country wants to know — 100 days have passed since the Pahalgam attack, but this government has not brought the terrorists to justice.”
Raising further questions during the debate, Gogoi demanded clarity on the extent of India’s losses in the reported military operation. “We want to know from Rajnath Singh ji today how many of our fighter jets were downed. We have to tell this not just to the public but also to our jawans, as they are being lied to as well,” he said.
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Earlier, speaking in the lower house, Rajnath Singh lauded the armed forces and the outcome of Operation Sindoor. “Some Opposition members are asking how many of our aircraft were shot down. I feel their question does not adequately represent our national sentiments. They have not asked how many enemy aircraft our armed forces shot down,” Singh said.
“If they must ask a question, it should be whether India destroyed terrorist bases — and the answer is yes. If you want to know whether Operation Sindoor was successful — again, the answer is yes. Were terror heads destroyed? Yes. And to those asking if any of our soldiers were harmed — the answer is no, none of our brave soldiers were harmed,” the defence minister added.
The debate comes amid growing pressure on the government to release details about Operation Sindoor, which targeted terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir across the Line of Control following the Pahalgam attack on April 22.
Gaurav Gogoi targets Amit Shah
In a blistering attack on the Centre, the Congress's deputy leader in the House said home minister Amit Shah must take responsibility for the lapses that led to the Pahalgam attack.
Gogoi also slammed the government over US President Donald Trump's claim "26 times" that he used trade to bring about a ceasefire between India and Pakistan, and asked, “before whom did Prime Minister Narendra Modi surrender”.
Gogoi said the prime minister had been stating post-Uri and after the Pulwama attack that “humne ghar mein ghus ke maara” and "we destroyed terror infrastructure", and he is making the same remarks now.
"They are still saying that Operation Sindoor is incomplete and Pakistan can do this again, then how is this a success? They themselves are saying our intention was not war, why was it not so? They say it was not to take territory, why was it not so? When will we take back Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, if not today, then when? The most horrendous terror attacks have happened under your government," Gogoi said.
He said the Opposition wanted to know from Modi that if Pakistan was ready to kneel before India, then “why did we stop and before whom did you surrender?”.
"US President Trump has made the claim '26 times' that he used the threat of trade to bring a ceasefire between India and Pakistan. He says five to six jets have been downed. One jet is of crores and crores (of rupees) that is why we want to know from the defence minister, the country has the courage to listen to the truth, he must answer as to how many fighter jets were downed," Gogoi said.
"This information, this truth, is not just for Indian citizens; it is important for soldiers, they are also being lied to," he said.
‘Rajnath Singh gave a lot of information, but…’: Gaurav Gogoi
Referring to the defence minister's speech earlier, Gogoi said he gave a lot of information, but did not say as the defence minister how terrorists came to Pahalgam.
"The country wants to know... 100 days have passed, but this government has not brought terrorists to justice," he said.
The home minister kept saying that the backbone of terrorism has been broken, but Uri, Balakot and Pahalgam still happened, he said.
"Who will take responsibility, the (J-K) LG? It is the home minister who must take responsibility. You cannot hide behind the LG. This government is such a coward and is so weak that they blamed even the tour operators for the Pahalgam attack," Gogoi said.
(With inputs from PTI)
