BK Hariprasad demands Rajnath Singh’s resignation, says accountability cannot be avoided for ‘misleading’ Parliament on Op Sindoor

BENGALURU: Karnataka Congress chief BK Hariprasad on Monday demanded the resignation of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh amid the recent controversy surrounding the names of six armed forces personnel who lost their lives during ‘Operation Sindoor’, which were recently etched at the National War Memorial.

In a post on ‘X’, Hariprasad referenced Rajnath Singh’s 2025 parliamentary speech, claiming the Defence Minister had “categorically” told Parliament that no soldiers’ lives were lost during Operation Sindoor. He stressed that the subsequent disclosure of the operation’s fallen heroes represents a “serious contradiction” to the Minister’s earlier remarks.

“Defence Minister Rajnath Singh categorically told Parliament that no Indian soldiers lost their lives during #OperationSindoor. The BJP government’s own subsequent disclosure naming the personnel who made the supreme sacrifice exposes a serious contradiction,” the Congress leader wrote on X.

Defence Minister @rajnathsingh categorically had told Parliament that no Indian soldiers had lost their lives during #OperationSindoor.

The @BJP4India Govt’s own subsequent disclosure naming the personnel who made the supreme sacrifice exposes a serious contradiction.

If…

— Hariprasad.B.K. (@HariprasadBK2) June 29, 2026

“If Parliament was misled on a matter of such national importance, accountability cannot be avoided. Rajnath Singh must resign for misleading Parliament. Our martyrs deserve truth, honesty, and respect–not contradictory statements,” Hariprasad added.

The names of the six Indian security personnel who died during the four-day operation against Pakistan in May 2025 have since been etched at the National War Memorial in New Delhi.

As the issue ignited a political row, the Ministry of Defence clarified on Saturday that the nation had honoured the six personnel who made the supreme sacrifice during Operation Sindoor at the earliest opportunity, rejecting claims that their sacrifice had only been acknowledged publicly for the “first time” recently.

According to the release, it stated, “Certain reports circulating in sections of the media and on social media platforms have incorrectly suggested that the supreme sacrifice of six bravehearts during Operation Sindoor has been acknowledged or brought to public notice for the first time only recently. It is clarified that the nation paid homage to these fallen heroes at the earliest opportunity, well before the reports in question”.

During the official press conference held on May 11, 2025, the then Director General of Military Operations paid solemn tribute to these brave soldiers and specifically acknowledged their sacrifice in the line of duty during Operation Sindoor. These bravehearts were conferred with gallantry awards, and this was published in the press release of August 14, 2025. This constituted a formal and national recognition of their valour and supreme sacrifice in keeping with the highest traditions of the Indian Defence Forces, the release had stated. (ANI)