Pune, 17 Dec

Congress leader and former Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan on Wednesday refused to apologise for his remarks questioning the Indian armed forces over Operation Sindoor, saying the Constitution grants him the right to raise questions.

Responding to criticism over his statement, Chavan said, "Why will I apologise? It is out of the question. The Constitution gives me the right to ask questions." His remarks come amid a growing political controversy, with the BJP launching strong attacks against the Congress leader.

Earlier, Chavan had claimed that India was defeated on the first day of Operation Sindoor and that Indian aircraft were shot down during the four-day conflict. Elaborating on his position, he said, "On the first day (of Operation Sindoor), we were completely defeated. In the half-hour aerial engagement that took place on the 7th, we were fully defeated, whether people accept it or not. Indian aircraft were shot down.

The Air Force was completely grounded, and not a single aircraft flew. If any aircraft had taken off from Gwalior, Bathinda, or Sirsa, there was a high probability of being shot down by Pakistan, which is why the Air Force was fully grounded."

He further questioned the need for maintaining large ground forces, stating, "Recently, we saw during Operation Sindoor, there was not even a one-kilometre movement of the military. Whatever happened over the course of two or three days was limited to aerial warfare and missile attacks. In the future, too, wars will be fought in the same way. In such a situation, do we really need to maintain an army of 12 lakh soldiers, or can we make they do some other work?"

The BJP reacted sharply. BJP MP Brij Lal condemned Chavan’s remarks, saying, "I strongly condemn this statement. The Congress party has always been pro-Pakistani. This Congress party has always humiliated the country. Their leader, Rahul Gandhi, whenever he goes abroad, insults India... The whole country is watching, and the public will teach Congress a lesson."

BJP national spokesperson C R Kesavan also criticised Chavan, alleging, "Prithviraj Chavan has ranted like a third-grade Pakistani spokesperson, deliberately maligning our armed forces, calling them to be disbanded on Vijay Diwas... Why has Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi not condemned and initiated action against Prithviraj Chavan?" He demanded action and an apology from the Congress leader.

Operation Sindoor was launched on May 7 in response to the Pahalgam terror attack in which 26 people were killed, leading to a four-day conflict between India and Pakistan.