NEW DELHI DEC 17: Congress leader and former Maharashtra chief minister Prithviraj Chavan on Wednesday refused to apologise for his controversial remarks on Operation Sindoor, asserting that the Constitution gives him the right to question the conduct of the military operation.
“Why will I apologise? It is out of the question. The Constitution gives me the right to ask questions,” Chavan told reporters when asked if he would withdraw his comments alleging that India was “completely defeated” on the first day of the operation.
Chavan had earlier claimed that during a half-hour aerial engagement on May 7, Indian aircraft were shot down and the Air Force was effectively grounded, contending that no aircraft could safely take off from bases like Gwalior, Bathinda or Sirsa due to the threat from Pakistan. He further argued that Operation Sindoor was limited to aerial and missile exchanges with “not even a one-kilometre movement” of troops on the ground, and questioned whether India needs to maintain a 12 lakh-strong army in an era of such warfare.
The remarks triggered a sharp backlash from the BJP, which accused the Congress of repeatedly insulting the armed forces and undermining national security. BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla said Chavan’s comments were “shocking” and targeted the Air Force, alleging that “insulting the army has become the hallmark of the Congress party” and linking the remarks to Rahul Gandhi’s alleged mindset.
Union minister Giriraj Singh also hit out at Chavan, stating that no one has the right to “insult the valour of the Armed Forces” and claiming it has become the Congress’s “habit” to do so. Operation Sindoor was launched by India on May 7 against terror infrastructure deep inside Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir in retaliation for the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu & Kashmir, in which 26 civilians were killed.
