Several grave issues of national importance await discussion as the Monsoon session of Parliament starts on Monday. The pre-session meeting between government representatives and over 50 opposition leaders gave ample hints to the way the discussions would zero in on critical issues such as the Operation Sindoor, the Pahalgam terrorist attack about which Governor Manoj Sinha has himself admitted a major security lapse, the role of Donald Trump in the ‘ceasefire’ decision, the Ahmedabad Air India crash, the controversial electoral rolls revision in poll-bound Bihar etc. During the 21 sittings spread over a month’s time, an extension of the President’s rule in Manipur would also be considered. Curiously, a demand from the Opposition for a statement from Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself has not been accepted. In critical situations, the PM remains a tower of silence. In fact, the government should have called a special session of Parliament immediately after the ceasefire, but it rejected the collective opposition clamour for this. While it is generally understood that India lost the “information war” related to the Operation Sindoor, there is no clarity as to who won the military engagement that lasted just a few days. It ended abruptly with a mysterious declaration from President Donald Trump in Washington to this effect – something of the kind that had never ever happened in the history of military engagements between other nations.
The lack of security at Pahalgam where tourists were shot down in one go is a serious issue, which was further reinforced by Governor Sinha’s open admission of a governmental failure. Whether there was a method in this madness is yet to be ascertained. The government’s claim immediately after the ceasefire that “Operation Sindoor has not stopped but will continue” must be taken with a pinch of salt. The obvious interpretation was that the purpose of the military engagement was yet to be achieved. Latest reports say terror-mastermind Masood Azhar is back in Occupied Kashmir, preparing the ground for another attack in Kashmir. Operation Sindoor, by all practical purposes, has been put in cold storage. There has been no action thereafter. Apparently, by stating that the operations have not stopped, the government kept the nation on tenterhooks. Worse, by maintaining a pregnant silence, with no word spoken about the outcome of Operation Sindoor, Prime Minister Modi has not only done a disservice to the nation but also helped Pakistan win its disinformation war on the world stage. India’s jumbo delegations of leaders sent across continents were poorly equipped. Many could not even speak properly in English. A clear statement from the Prime Minister about the outcome of the war, relayed by embassies abroad, would have better served the purpose. Donald Trump’s reference to the “five” Indian fighter jets, and Pakistan’s claim of downing six jets, only compounded the confusion. All these are bound to raise the temperature in the upcoming discussions. This is time for the Opposition to collectively demonstrate its will.
