Congress Calls for Special Parliament Session Amid Rising Tensions with Pakistan
Congress Demands Urgent Parliamentary Discussion
On Saturday, the Congress party urged for a special session of Parliament to address the recent four-day conflict with Pakistan, accusing the central government of misleading the public.
Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge expressed on social media that following remarks from Chief Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan, there are “critical questions” that require attention.
“These inquiries can only be addressed if a special session of Parliament is convened immediately,” Kharge stated.
In comments interpreted by some as an admission of the Indian Air Force's aircraft losses during Operation Sindoor, Chauhan remarked to Bloomberg that the focus should be on “why they were being down” rather than the aircraft themselves.
He noted, “The positive aspect is our ability to identify tactical errors, correct them, and resume operations shortly after, successfully deploying all our jets for long-range targets,” as quoted.
However, he dismissed Pakistan's assertion of having downed six Indian Air Force jets as “completely incorrect.”
These claims from Islamabad remain unverified by independent sources.
Chauhan further informed Reuters that India did experience losses in the air during the “initial stages” of the conflict, but emphasized that tactics were adjusted, allowing the Air Force to operate all types of aircraft with various ordnance later on.
Kharge also called for a thorough evaluation of India's defense readiness by an independent expert committee, similar to the Kargil Review Committee established after the 1999 Kargil War.
Additionally, he highlighted that former US President Donald Trump had repeatedly claimed that the US facilitated a ceasefire between India and Pakistan on May 10.
“This directly undermines the Simla Agreement,” the Congress leader remarked.
In the wake of the remarks made by the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) in Singapore in an interview, there are some very important questions which need to be asked.
— Mallikarjun Kharge (@kharge) May 31, 2025
These can only be asked if a Special Session of the Parliament is immediately convened.
The Modi Govt has misled the…
Escalating tensions between India and Pakistan began on May 7 when the Indian military executed strikes, dubbed Operation Sindoor, targeting what it identified as terrorist camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
This action was a response to a terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, that resulted in 26 fatalities on April 22.
In retaliation, the Pakistan Army engaged in shelling Indian villages along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir, leading to the deaths of at least 22 Indian civilians and seven military personnel.
On May 10, India and Pakistan reached an “understanding” to halt firing following the four-day conflict. This announcement by Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri came shortly after Trump claimed on social media that a ceasefire had been agreed upon.
The US President asserted that Washington mediated the ceasefire discussions.
However, India clarified that the decision to cease fire was “worked out directly between the two nations,” a stance New Delhi has consistently maintained.