Divided Opposition fail to corner Modi govt over Pahalgam, Operation Sindoor

One month into ‘Operation Sindoor’, the Opposition remains divided over cornering the Modi government on security and intelligence lapses that led to the Pahalgam attack, the failure to arrest terrorists involved, questions over US President Donald Trump’s repeated claims on enforcing a ceasefire and the losses India suffered.

The Opposition circles are of the view that it was not able to take advantage of the discomfort in the ruling BJP after rightwing ecosystem too found fault with Modi government’s approach with the sudden ceasefire and claims of being diplomatically isolated with countries hyphenating Pakistan with India and putting the onus on New Delhi to ensure peace.

Parties with some clout like AAP is trekking a separate path in the Opposition though broadly in alignment with the I.N.D.I.A. bloc while NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) has refused to be part of a concerted campaign for demanding a special session of Parliament to question the government on a variety of issues, including perceived setbacks on the diplomatic front.

The government has made it clear that there will be no special session and in a bid to blunt the Opposition attack, it made an unusually early announcement – 47 days ahead of commencement instead of the usual around 20 days – of Monsoon Session between July 21 and August 12.

The urgency in the meeting of Cabinet Committee on Parliamentary Affairs came as 16 Opposition leaders in Lok Sabha, including Rahul Gandhi, Akhilesh Yadav and Abhishek Banerjee, signed a joint letter addressed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi demanding a special session. Another letter with signatures of over 250 MPs was also planned.

However, the exercise did not go well as a meeting of only select I.N.D.I.A. parties—Congress, Trinamool Congress, RJD, Shiv Sena (UBT) and Samajwadi Party—were held before releasing the joint letter. Though MPs from their parties also signed, parties like CPI, CPI(M)L, CPI(M) and JMM were not happy with the way the major parties acted.

The I.N.D.I.A. bloc were also not able to present a united face when the government unilaterally chose leaders to be part of seven multi-party delegations sent abroad to campaign against Pakistan. While Trinamool Congress stood firm on choosing its own nominee, Congress locked horns with the government over the issue.

Leaders, especially Shashi Tharoor, who were chosen by the government against the Congress’ wishes put the party in a spot as they declared “national duty” above anything else and made statements abroad that were merrily used by the ruling BJP against the Opposition. Congress leaders like Salman Khurshid added to the party’s troubles with statements on Article 370.

A senior Opposition leader quipped that these MPs should also understand national duty includes making the government accountable but their actions have blunted aggression from the Opposition and given the government a leeway.

The government’s move to send the delegations and the hurried acceptance by the Opposition MPs without extensive consultation within parties and among themselves is now read in the Opposition circles as falling into a trap set by the ruling BJP. “The government wanted to create problems for some parties,” CPI(M) General Secretary M A Baby said.

“How can an MP who parrotted the government line abroad question it in Parliament? No one is saying the Opposition should have boycotted it but participation in such a delegation should have been on our terms, especially when the government was on the backfoot,” a senior Opposition leader said.

Congress Social Media and Digital Platforms chairperson Supriya Shrinate said one cannot say “many things” on foreign soil but the party “certainly will” do in the country.