The Business Advisory Committee (BAC) of the Rajya Sabha met in New Delhi on Wednesday and decided that a debate on Operation Sindoor would be held on July 29. Sources revealed that the government rejected the Opposition’s request for a farewell speech by former Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar. However, it agreed to let the seven retiring MPs deliver their farewell addresses.
Earlier, the Lok Sabha's BAC meeting took place on Monday. According to insiders, a 16-hour debate on Operation Sindoor is likely to begin next week, following a consensus among parties. The Opposition wants Prime Minister Narendra Modi to be present during the discussion.
Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, sharply criticised PM Modi for not responding to Donald Trump’s repeated claims of brokering a ceasefire between India and Pakistan.
He told reporters, "How can the Prime Minister give a statement? Kya bolenge PM, ki Trump ne karwaya hai? He can't say it, but it is the truth. The entire world knows that Trump has announced a ceasefire. We can't hide from reality."
Gandhi stressed that the ceasefire issue was just one of many important topics Parliament needed to debate. He said: "This is not only about a ceasefire. There are several major issues that we would like to discuss related to defence, defence manufacturing, and Operation Sindoor. The condition is not normal; the entire nation knows."
Further criticising the Prime Minister’s silence, Gandhi said: "Those who call themselves 'deshbhakt' have run away. The Prime Minister is unable to give a single statement. Trump has claimed 25 times that he has announced a ceasefire. Who is he? This is not his work. However, the Prime Minister didn't respond once. This is reality. Can't hide from it."
He concluded by accusing the Modi government of weakening India’s international relations: "They have destroyed our foreign policy. You can hardly count on your fingers the number of countries that have supported us. No one has supported us."
