BJP Attacks Congress Over Prithviraj Chavan’s Remarks On Operation Sindoor And Armed Forces

The Bharatiya Janata Party on Tuesday strongly criticised senior Congress leader and former Maharashtra chief minister Prithviraj Chavan for his comments on Operation Sindoor and the Indian Air Force, accusing the Congress of disrespecting the country’s armed forces. BJP leaders said the remarks reflected what they described as a long-standing pattern of the party undermining the military.

Chavan triggered a political storm after claiming that India had suffered a complete setback on the first day of Operation Sindoor and alleging that the Air Force remained grounded, with no aircraft taking off. He also questioned the need to maintain a large standing army, arguing that future conflicts would largely be fought through aerial and missile warfare rather than ground operations.

Reacting sharply, BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla called the statements shocking and controversial, alleging that insulting the armed forces had become central to the Congress’s identity. He accused the party of repeatedly making remarks that demoralise soldiers and undermine national security.

Operation Sindoor was launched by India on May 7 in response to the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam that killed 26 people. During the operation, Indian armed forces targeted terror infrastructure linked to groups such as Jaish-e-Mohammad and Lashkar-e-Taiba in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, with officials stating that over 100 terrorists were eliminated.

Claims about Indian fighter jets being shot down during the operation surfaced later, but the government rejected such reports, saying certain remarks by a defence official had been taken out of context. Senior military leaders later said that while losses can occur in combat situations, the mission had achieved its objectives and all Indian pilots returned safely.

The Indian Air Force leadership has since maintained that several Pakistani fighter jets and military installations were destroyed during the operation, delivering significant damage to Pakistan’s air capabilities. The controversy over Chavan’s comments has continued to fuel a sharp political exchange between the BJP and the Congress.