Opposition parties, led by the Congress, on Monday (July 28, 2025) questioned the Centre over “security lapses” which had led to the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22. The parties also attacked the government over the sudden “ceasefire” declaration and as well as claims made by U.S. President Donald Trump on having brokered it.

The Congress’s deputy leader in the Lok Sabha, Gaurav Gogoi, who opened the debate from Opposition ranks on the special discussion about “India’s strong, successful and decisive Operation Sindoor in response to the terror attack in Pahalgam”, said Home Minister Amit Shah should take responsibility for the security lapses. He also asked the government to clarify claims made by U.S. President Donald Trump that he used trade to bring about a ceasefire between India and Pakistan.

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The Trinamool Congress’s Kalyan Banerjee and Shiv Sena (UBT)’s Arvind Sawant questioned as to how many countries had stood with India during the conflict, while Samajwadi Party MP Ramashankar Rajbhar said the country was so angry after the Pahalgam attack that it wanted “Operation Tandoor” and not “Operation Sindoor”.

Mr. Gogoi also asked the government to clarify how many Indian jets were lost during the operation. The Centre had said its intention was not to occupy territory, but “if not today, then when will we take back Pakistan-occupied Kashmir?” he asked.

When the government had said Operation Sindoor was still “incomplete and Pakistan can do it again, then how is it a success”, he questioned.

Mr. Gogoi also said that after coming back from Saudi Arabia in the aftermath of the Pahalgam attack, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had visited Bihar and made a political speech, but did not visit Kashmir, which Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi had done.

He said the Opposition wants to know from Mr. Modi that if Pakistan was ready to kneel before India, “why did you stop and before whom did you surrender”?

Mr. Gogoi went on to ask Defence Minister Rajnath Singh as to why he did not name China during his address in the Lok Sabha.

Congress’s Deepender Hooda said the entire country knew the greatness of the armed forces and the Opposition was ready to bring a resolution on this. “The defence forces did their work, but did the government in power do theirs? That is the question,” he said.

Mr. Hooda said during Operation Sindoor, the entire Opposition was with the government. “But the Prime Minister was not part of the all-party meeting called by the government. He was shown to be busy,” the Congress leader said, adding the country wanted a strong reply to Pakistan like the one given by Indira Gandhi in 1971. “If Pakistan was on its knees, then what was the need for ceasefire? The ceasefire was also declared by the U.S.”

Mr. Banerjee asked how terrorists managed to infiltrate the border and launch an attack, and if there was an intelligence failure, why the Intelligence Bureau chief received a one-year extension? He also wanted to know how many of the 33 countries that India had reached out to had explicitly supported India.

Echoing his remarks, Mr. Sawant claimed no country stood with India during Operation Sindoor, including SAARC countries. “This was the time to take back PoK,” he said.

Mr. Rajbhar said, “The country was so angry [over the Pahalgam attack] that by the third day, people did not want ‘Operation Sindoor’, but ‘Operation Tandoor’, that is to throw the terrorists into that tandoor. But instead, the operation happened 17 days later… Were the terrorists who carried out the Pahalgam attack among the 100 [killed during the operation]? That’s the real question,” he said.