Parliament to hold high-stakes debate on Op Sindoor today

Parliament, after a disrupted first week of the ongoing Monsoon Session, is all set for a critical debate on ‘Operation Sindoor’, India’s military response to the Pahalgam terror attack,today.

The Opposition parties, before the session began on July 21, had written to the government seeking a serious debate on the issue.

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The Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha are expected to discuss the ‘Operation Sindoor’ for 16 hours each on Monday and Tuesday respectively.

The proceedings are expected to be a defining moment of the Monsoon Session, focusing on matters of national security and foreign policy.

In the Lok Sabha, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will open the debate on India’s military response to Pakistan — Operation Sindoor — launched in response to the Pahalgam terror attack.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar are also expected to speak on the issue in detail in Parliament. Also, the ruling BJP MPs, including Anurag Thakur and Nishikant Dubey, will contribute to the debate.

Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, and Rajya Sabha Leader of Opposition, Mallikarjun Kharge, are likely to spearhead the response. Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav and several other leaders from other opposition parties will contribute to the debate.

Meanwhile, the Congress party has issued a whip directing all its Lok Sabha MPs to remain present for the next three days, underlining the importance it attaches to the debate.

The first week of the ongoing Monsoon Session started on a stormy note as the Opposition stalled the proceedings several times over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar and other contentious issues.

On July 25, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju, however, said that the Opposition had agreed to initiate discussions on national security matters starting Monday.