Congress targets Centre over Indian defence attache’s remarks on ‘loss of fighter jets’ during Operation Sindoor

Citing an Indian defence attache’s remarks in Indonesia that the Indian Air Force lost fighter jets to Pakistan during Operation Sindoor because of “political constraints”, the Congress on Sunday (June 29, 2025) charged the government of “misleading” the country.

The party also asked why Prime Minister Narendra Modi was “refusing” to preside over an all-party meeting to take the Opposition into confidence, and why the demand for a special session of Parliament was rejected.

Congress general secretary (Communications) Jairam Ramesh, writing on X, shared a media report that quoted Captain (Indian Navy) Shiv Kumar, speaking at a seminar in Indonesia recently, saying the Indian Air Force lost fighter jets to Pakistan on the night of May 7, 2025 during its targeting of terror-linked sites in Pakistan.

“First, the Chief of Defence Staff makes important revelations in Singapore. Then, a senior defence official follows up from Indonesia. But why is the PM refusing to preside over an all-party meeting and take the Opposition into confidence? Why has the demand for a special session of Parliament been rejected?” Mr. Ramesh asked.

His party colleague and publicity head, Pawan Khera, citing the same media report, said the Modi government had “misled the nation from the start — failing to disclose the aircraft losses during Operation Sindoor”.

“There were oblique references to losses in air combat on 6/7 May, during a briefing by the DG Air Ops (Air Marshal Awadhesh Kumar Bharti) when he said – ‘we are in a combat situation and losses are a part of combat’. Then, it was left to Chief of Defence Staff, General Anil Chauhan, to make the first official admission of our attrition in the air while speaking to Bloomberg TV on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore,” Mr. Khera said on X.

“And now, in another shocking revelation by Capt. Shiv Kumar, it has emerged that the Indian Air Force lost fighter jets to Pakistan on the night of May 7, 2025, during its targeting of Pakistan’s terror-linked sites, only because of the constraint given by the political leadership,” he added.

Mr. Khera alleged that the latest revelations were a direct indictment of the Modi Government, particularly Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.

The Congress leader claimed the government was “scared” of Congress as it was not sure what the Opposition party could “expose”.

“No wonder they are ducking our demand for a Special Session of Parliament like the plague,” Mr. Khera alleged.