NEW DELHI: India’s main opposition Congress party has demanded the resignation of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh for misleading parliament over military deaths during the May 2025 conflict with Pakistan after the government officially disclosed the names of six personnel killed during the fighting.
The demand follows the Indian government’s decision on June 26 to add the names of six armed forces personnel to the Roll of Honour on the National War Memorial website.
According to The Hindu, this marked the first official confirmation of military casualties from the May 2025 conflict, which New Delhi refers to as “Operation Sindoor”.
At a press conference, Congress Ex-servicemen Department Chairperson Colonel (retd) Rohit Chaudhry and Wing Commander (retd) Anuma Acharya accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government of concealing the deaths of five Indian Army personnel and one Indian Air Force serviceman.
हमारी मांग-
⦿ रक्षा मंत्री राजनाथ सिंह को पद से हटाया जाए
⦿ रक्षा मंत्री के खिलाफ विशेषाधिकार हनन प्रस्ताव लाया जाए
⦿ राजनाथ सिंह के झूठ में साथ देने के लिए नरेंद्र मोदी और BJP सांसद माफी मांगें
⦿ अग्निवीर योजना को पूरी तरह से खत्म किया जाए: AICC एक्स-सर्विसमैन विभाग के… pic.twitter.com/pe4jCAhu9t
— Congress (@INCIndia) June 29, 2026
Chaudhry demanded Defence Minister Singh’s removal from office and called on Modi and lawmakers from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to apologise for supporting the minister’s false statements in parliament.
“When Rajnath Singh was lying in Parliament that no soldier had suffered any loss, BJP MPs were clapping,” Chaudhry said.
“The foundation of the Modi government is built on lies. They have no right to remain in power,” he added, while questioning why it had taken the government about 13 months to publicly acknowledge the deaths.
The Congress leaders said the delay had denied the fallen personnel the public recognition and honour they deserved.
Privilege motion against defence minister
Meanwhile, Congress Member of Parliament K.C. Venugopal had sought privilege proceedings against Singh, alleging that he misled the Lok Sabha over the deaths of the six military personnel.
According to India Today, a privilege motion may be initiated when a parliamentarian alleges that another member or a minister has breached parliamentary privilege by misleading the House.
“This amounts to completely misleading Parliament. That is why I have moved a privilege motion against Rajnath Singh ji before the Speaker of the House,” Venugopal said.
Any minister who is a Member of Parliament cannot lie to Parliament.
In this case, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh stated that nobody was martyred during Operation Sindoor. But, the government itself mentioned the names of six personnel.
This amounts to completely misleading… pic.twitter.com/pcqnkjS2b6
— Congress (@INCIndia) July 1, 2026
In a social media post on Tuesday, Venugopal said he had written to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, arguing that “if a minister misleads the House or withholds information, it constitutes a breach of privilege, amounting to contempt of the House”.
In the debate in Lok Sabha on Operation Sindoor, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh lied to the people of India. It was a straightforward, clear-cut lie – to mislead the House.
How could he, in July 2025, say that no Indian soldier was martyred, and then a year later the forces… pic.twitter.com/gEvHVoU1el
— K C Venugopal (@kcvenugopalmp) June 30, 2026
The military confrontation between India and Pakistan erupted after New Delhi accused Islamabad, without providing any evidence, of involvement in the April 22, 2025 attack in Pahalgam in Indian Illegally Occupied Kashmir, in which 26 people, mostly tourists, were killed. Pakistan condemned the attack and strongly rejected the baseless allegations and said India had provided no evidence.
Following the attack, India announced a series of punitive measures against Pakistan, including the unilateral suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty. Pakistan responded by suspending trade, closing its airspace to Indian aircraft and shutting the Wagah border crossing.
On the night of May 6, India carried out air strikes targeting civilian populations in Pakistan. Pakistan swiftly responded with military action targeting Indian military installations. Pakistan Air Force shot down seven Indian fighter aircraft during the four-day conflict.
In late May 2025, India’s Chief of Defence Staff, General Anil Chauhan, acknowledged that Indian fighter aircraft had been shot down during the conflict.
The fighting ended on May 10 after a ceasefire was announced following diplomatic efforts led by the United States.
In late May 2025, India’s Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan admitted that his country’s fighter jets were shot down by Pakistan during the four-day military escalation.
Modi’s government had faced scathing criticism from opposition parties for its lack of “political will to fight” during the May clashes.
