NEW DELHI: The Congress on Tuesday moved a privilege notice against Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh alleging that he misled the Lok Sabha on July 28, 2025, during a discussion on the terrorist attack in Pahalgam and Operation Sindoor.
In a letter to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, Congress MP and Chairperson of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) KC Venugopal urged the Speaker to initiate privilege proceedings under Rule 223 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the Lok Sabha, accusing the Defence Minister of misleading the House.
In his letter, Venugopal wrote that on 28 July, 2025, during the discussion on the terrorist attack at Pahalgam and Operation Sindoor, the Defence Minister stated that "none of our soldiers were harmed in the operation."
However, contrary to the statement, an official statement has been released that the following six armed forces personnel had died during the Operation Sindoor, said Venugopal.
He further listed the deceased personnel as: Subedar Major Pawan Kumar (Indian Army), Rifleman Sunil Kumar, Vir Chakra (Indian Army), Lance Naik Dinesh Kumar (Indian Army), Aviation Technician Mood Murlinaik (Indian Army), Havildar Sunil Kumar Singh (Indian Army), and Sergeant Surendra Kumar, Vayu Sena Medal (Indian Air Force).
Venugopal said that the discrepancy clearly showed that the Defence Minister’s statement on the floor of the House was “misleading and incorrect.” “It is well established that misleading the House or withholding information from the House by a Minister on the Floor of the House constitutes a breach of privilege and contempt of the House,” he further wrote.
“In view of the foregoing, I request that privilege proceedings may be initiated against the Minister of Defence in the matter,” Venugopal added.
Later, in a post on X, Venugopal alleged that the Defence Minister had “lied to the people of India” during the Lok Sabha debate on Operation Sindoor.
“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? It is a grave insult to the families of these six martyrs and the entire armed forces that the people of India were not told of their bravery and ultimate sacrifice. They died in the service of our nation, while defending it against our enemies, and the so-called nationalist Government simply lied about their martyrdom.
“It is a well-established norm that if a Minister misleads the House or withholds information, it constitutes a breach of privilege, amounting to contempt of the House. In this regard, I have written to the Hon’ble Lok Sabha Speaker requesting privilege proceedings be initiated against the Defence Minister,” he wrote.
On June 26, the government had released the names of the six personnel who died during the cross-border operation. Following this, the Congress stepped up its criticism, alleging that the Defence Minister had earlier informed Parliament that no Indian personnel had been harmed during Operation Sindoor.