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‘Rajnath Singh misled Parliament’: Oppn's big charge after soldiers killed in Op Sindoor named; Centre responds
The Ministry of Defence clarified on Rajnath Singh's remark and said the opposition deliberately ignore the full context of the remarks.
After the government released the names of six military personnel who died during Operation Sindoor last year, the opposition hit out at the Centre over defence minister Rajnath Singh's Parliament speech made on the subject last year.
The names of the six military personnel, five from the Army and one from IAF, were inscribed on a wall at the National War Memorial, as a tribute to the fallen heroes. This marks the first formal public acknowledgement of the fatalities suffered by the Indian armed forces during the operation.
The Congress, while sharing Rajnath Singh's remarks claiming that no Indian soldiers were harmed during Operation Sindoor, hit out at the government for what it said was “misleading the nation and concealing the martyrdom from the nation”.
Following the opposition's attack over Singh's statements, the Ministry of Defence clarified on Singh's remark and said the opposition deliberately ignore the full context of the remarks.
Also Read: Names of 6 soldiers killed in action during Operation Sindoor made public for 1st time
"Certain posts circulating on social media platforms have sought to misrepresent the Raksha Mantri's address delivered on the floor of Parliament on July 28, 2025. These posts have selectively quoted an isolated portion of the speech to falsely imply that the Raksha Mantri claimed that no Indian soldier lost his life during Operation Sindoor. These are deliberately misleading and factually incorrect," the defence ministry said in a statement.
"Those who have sought to construct a controversy out of Raksha Mantri's Parliamentary address have done so by deliberately ignoring the full context of his remarks," the statement added.
Clarifying on Rajnath Singh's statement, the ministry said that the minister's address sought to clarify a dominant narrative that Indian pilots had died during Operation Sindoor.
"It was in direct reference to this specific and mischievous narrative that the Raksha Mantri made the statement in question. His remarks were, therefore, a targeted and contextually specific response to a falsehood that was gaining dangerous traction at that moment," it said.
What Rajnath Singh said before
On July 28, while speaking before the Lok Sabha, Rajnath Singh said that no Indian soldiers were harmed during Operation Sindoor.
While speaking during the 16-hour long discussion, "If you want to ask the question, then ask whether any of our brave soldiers were harmed in this operation? The answer is, no, none of our soldiers were harmed."
The Congress shared the video clip from last year, saying, "Nation will not forgive Narendra Modi." However, the ministry of defence has now clarified that Rajnath Singh's remarks are misrepresented in the now viral clip.
Congress leader Manish Tewari said if there are some other facts, the government should squarely put them on the table of Parliament during the ensuing monsoon session.
"@rajnathsingh ji during the debate on Operation Sindoor said that no harm was caused to any Indian Solider during operation Sindoor. Was he oblivious of the facts when he addressed Parliament ? 13 months later Government releases names of six soldier killed during Operation Sindhoor, namely Subedar Major Pawan Kumar, Rifleman Sunil Kumar, Lance Naik Dinesh Kumar, Agniveer Murali Naik, Havildar Sunil Kumar Singh, and Indian Air Force Sergeant Surendra Kumar.," Tewari said in a post on X.
Congress leader Pawan Khera asked whether Rajnath Singh was unaware of the facts or he chose to mislead Parliament despite knowing the truth.
"Either Defence Minister Rajnath Singh was unaware, when addressing Parliament, that six soldiers had already been martyred. If that is the case, it raises a grave question mark over the minister, who lacks knowledge of the very ministry he leads. Or else, he knew the truth and yet chose to mislead Parliament. That is even more serious, because it proves that this government lies to the nation--oaths and all--in the temple of democracy. Whichever is true, some facts remain unchanged," Khera said.
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Govt reveals names of six personnel
The government on Friday, for the first time, officially revealed the names of six Indian military personnel who were killed in action during Operation Sindoor.
The names were published in the Roll of Honour section on the National War Memorial website and inscribed at the National War Memorial in New Delhi. This was the first formal public acknowledgement of the fatalities suffered by the Indian armed forces during the operation.
The names of six military personnel include Subedar Major Pawan Kumar of Headquarters 10 Infantry Brigade, Rifleman Sunil Kumar, Vir Chakra, of 4 Jammu and Kashmir Light Infantry, Lance Naik Dinesh Kumar of 5 Field Regiment, Aviation Technician Mood Muralinaik of 851 Light Regiment, Havildar Sunil Kumar Singh of 237 Field Workshop Company and Sergeant Surendra Kumar, Vayu Medal, of 39 Wing.
Ministry of defence says not acknowledged for the first time
In a separate post, the ministry of defence said that the names were not revealed for first time, adding that the DGMO had paid tributes during a press conference on May 11, 2025.
“During the official press conference held on May 11, 2025, then Director General of Military Operations paid solemn tribute to these brave soldiers and specifically acknowledged their sacrifice in the line of duty during Operation Sindoor,” the defence ministry said.
The ministry said that the bravehearts were conferred with gallantry awards, which was published in a press release on August 14, 2025.
