Key Points
- Parliamentary Truce: The deadlock in Parliament is over after the government agreed to the opposition’s demand for a special debate on India’s recent military action, ‘Operation Sindoor’.
- Extensive Debate Scheduled: A marathon 32-hour discussion has been scheduled, with 16 hours in the Lok Sabha on Monday (July 28) and 16 hours in the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday (July 29).
- Key Issues on Hold: The consensus was reached in an all-party meeting, where the government prioritized the ‘Operation Sindoor’ debate over other contentious issues raised by the opposition, including the Bihar voter list revision (SIR) and a judge’s impeachment.
- Protests Continue: Despite the agreement, INDIA bloc MPs, led by Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi, continued their protest against the Bihar SIR, demanding transparency from the Election Commission.
New Delhi: The week-long stalemate in Parliament is set to end after the government on Friday conceded to the opposition’s demand for a special, two-day debate on ‘Operation Sindoor’, the recent military action against Pakistan-sponsored terror infrastructure.
The breakthrough came during an all-party meeting convened by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, which was attended by key leaders including Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju, Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi, and Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge. To break the logjam that has crippled legislative business, the government agreed to a marathon 32-hour debate on the single issue.
“All issues cannot be discussed at once,” Kiren Rijiju told reporters after the meeting. “The opposition has raised several concerns, like the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in Bihar. We have told them that Operation Sindoor will be discussed first… for 16 hours in the Lok Sabha on Monday and 16 hours in the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday.”
What is ‘Operation Sindoor’?
The debate centers on a military operation that the government described in Parliament as a “strong and decisive response” to a “barbaric” attack by Pakistan-backed terrorists. In a written reply to the Rajya Sabha on Thursday, the Ministry of External Affairs stated that the operation was “focused, measured and non-escalatory,” aimed solely at dismantling terror infrastructure.
The ministry also revealed that the operation concluded on May 10, 2025, after the Director General of Military Operations of Pakistan requested a cessation of hostilities, which India agreed to. The opposition has been demanding a detailed discussion on the operation’s objectives and its conclusion.
Protests on Other Fronts Continue
While a truce was reached on the debate, the opposition has not backed down on other fronts. Earlier on Friday, INDIA bloc MPs staged their fifth consecutive day of protests at Parliament’s Makar Dwar against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter rolls in Bihar.
Led by Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi, and Priyanka Gandhi, the MPs marched with posters decrying the SIR exercise as an “Attack on Democracy.” Priyanka Gandhi sharply criticized the Election Commission for its lack of transparency.
“They should respond to the allegations. They should provide us with the voters’ list, which we have been asking for,” she said. “All political parties should have access to that information. Why is it not being provided?”
According to sources, the opposition also raised the issue of an impeachment motion against Allahabad High Court Judge Yashwant Varma during the all-party meeting. However, the government has insisted that any discussion on other matters will only happen after the debate on ‘Operation Sindoor’ is concluded.
