NEW DELHI, INDIA — Parliament was full of heated arguments on Tuesday as Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi head-on. President Donald Trump’s repeated claim that he had brokered a truce between India and Pakistan was at the center of the heated debate. This was especially true in light of India’s current “Operation Sindoor.” The Opposition asked the Prime Minister to make a clear comment, saying that his silence on the issue was not acceptable.
Rahul Gandhi, the leader of the opposition in the Lok Sabha, made a strong statement criticizing the Modi government’s “political will and full freedom of operation” in carrying out military operations like Operation Sindoor. Gandhi said, “To use the Indian Armed Forces, you need 100% political will and full freedom of operation.” He made a strong historical connection to the Bangladesh Liberation War of 1971 by saying, “In 1971, when the Seventh Fleet was on its way to India, Indira Gandhi told General Manekshaw to take six months or even a year—whatever he needed.” That’s what freedom of action means. That’s what real political will looks like.
Gandhi then told Prime Minister Modi to deal with Trump’s contentious remarks immediately. “If he has the guts, he will say here that Donald Trump is a liar.” Gandhi remarked with biting sarcasm, “If he has the courage bol dega, bol denge sorry (He will say it if he has the courage),” challenging Modi to call Trump “a liar” in front of the whole House. “Why isn’t the Prime Minister saying anything? Say it if Trump is lying. “Say it in Parliament.”
Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge strongly agreed with what he said in the Rajya Sabha. Kharge was upset that India had not said anything whereas Trump, who had said he was responsible for the India-Pakistan ceasefire, had said it several times. “Why isn’t India ready to accept the ceasefire yet, even after Trump said 29 times that he was the one who made it happen?” Kharge asked, “By the time I finish my speech, he might have said it a 30th time.”
The demands of the opposition show that there is more and more pressure on the government to make a clear and final statement on Trump’s claims. If this is not done, it might be seen as weakening India’s sovereignty and the story about its military actions. The argument over Operation Sindoor and the idea that other forces are involved show that there are big differences in the political world when it comes to national security and diplomatic openness.