'No Wonder Govt Ducking Our Special Session Demand': Congress Asks For Clarity After Defence Attache's Remarks
The Wire Staff
New Delhi: A day after The Wire reported that India's defence attache to Indonesia had said early in June that the Indian Air Force lost fighter jets to Pakistan on the night of May 7 during its targeting of Pakistan’s terror-linked sites “only because of the constraint given by the political leadership to not attack the military establishment or their air defences," India's opposition party, Congress, has asked for clarity on this crucial point.
On June 10, Captain (Indian Navy) Shiv Kumar acknowledged at a seminar in Indonesia that even though he “may not agree (with an earlier Indonesian speaker’s claim) that we lost so many aircraft, but I do agree we did lose some aircraft.”
While the Indian Embassy in Jakarta, Indonesia, released a statement saying Captain Kumar’s remarks were taken “out of context," there has been no other word from official quarters on the matter.
The Chief of Defence Staff, General Anil Chauhan, had earlier said that the real issue was not the number of jets lost, but why they were lost.
Congress leader Pawan Khera noted on X that the government has misled the nation from the start in its secrecy over Operation Sindoor.
The Modi government has misled the nation from the start - failing to disclose the aircraft losses during Operation Sindoor.
There were oblique references to losses in air combat on 6/7 May, during a briefing by the DG Air Ops (Air Marshal Awadhesh Kumar Bharti) when he said - “we are in a combat situation and losses are a part of combat.”
Then, it was left to Chief of Defence Staff, General Anil Chauhan to make the first official admission of our attrition in the air while speaking to Bloomberg TV on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore.
And now, in another shocking revelation by Capt. Shiv Kumar, it has emerged that the Indian Air Force lost fighter jets to Pakistan on the night of May 7, 2025 during its targeting of Pakistan’s terror-linked sites “only because of the constraint given by the political leadership.”
This is a direct indictment of the Modi Government, particularly Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. No wonder they are ducking our demand for a Special Session of Parliament like the plague. They know they’ve compromised national security, and they’re terrified of what the Congress Party will expose before the people of India.
Another senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said:
First the Chief of Defence Staff makes important revelations in Singapore. Then a senior defence official follows up from Indonesia.
But why is the PM refusing to preside over an all-party meeting and take the Opposition into confidence? Why has the demand for a special session of Parliament been rejected?
The party's youth leader Srinivas B.V. and its official account wrote that Modi must answer "serious questions":
The Indian Air Force lost fighter jets on the night of May 7, 2025, while targeting Pakistani terror infrastructure—“only because of constraints given by the political leadership".
These are the words of India’s defence attaché to Indonesia, Captain (Indian Navy) Shiv Kumar, who acknowledged the loss of India's fighter jets at a seminar in Indonesia last month.
Earlier, Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) Anil Chauhan had also acknowledged the loss of Indian fighter jets during the Operation Sindoor.
There are several unanswered questions related to the untimely ceasefire—especially when India actually had an upper hand in the escalation.
Prime Minister Modi must answer these very serious questions:
👉Why is the Prime Minister refusing to convene an all-party meeting under his leadership to inform the Opposition about the truth?
👉Why was the demand to call a special session of Parliament on this issue been rejected?
👉What are PM Modi, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and EAM Jaishankar hiding from the nation?
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