Operation Sindoor still underway, refrain from raising 'unwanted' questions: BJP tells Opposition

New Delhi: Slamming the Congress and other opposition parties, the BJP on Wednesday asserted that Operation Sindoor is still going on and it has been stopped only temporarily, asking them to refrain from raising "unnecessary and unwarranted" questions on the issue.

Talking to reporters, BJP Rajya Sabha MP and national spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi said the government has not used the word "ceasefire" anywhere and has clearly stated that the issue of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) can be settled through bilateral talks between India and Pakistan.

The government believes that there is no possibility of any mediation on this issue, he said.

"Our government under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi has categorically stated the new policy of the government of India on terror that (says) terror and talks can't go together, water and blood can't flow simultaneously," Trivedi pointed out.

"He (PM Modi) has emphatically made it very clear that any act of terror will be responded with full throttle and appropriate, befitting and aggressive response. Now this the new normal of India's policy on terror," he said.

"Hence, they (Congress and other opposition parties) should refrain from making unnecessary and unwarranted comments on this issue as Operation Sindoor is still not over," the BJP spokesperson said.

During Operation Sindoor, the Indian armed forces have shown exceptional valour and highly precise competency, he said.

"The entire world is acknowledging the grand success of our armed forces," he added.

The Congress on Wednesday accused the BJP of "politicising" Operation Sindoor and said it would take out rallies across the country to question the prime minister's "silence" on US President Donald Trump's claims of mediating a ceasefire between India and Pakistan and the "halting" of the operation.

Addressing a joint press conference after a meeting of senior party leaders, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh and the party's media and publicity department head, Pawan Khera, said the BJP was trying to make the military action a "brand" for itself when the operation belongs to the armed forces and the country.

Flaying the Congress, Trivedi said the main opposition party raising questions at a time when Operation Sindoor was still going on puts a question mark on its intentions.

"On the one hand, the Congress and other opposition parties say they are with the government on the issue but this does not reflect in their behaviour. They say something and do something else which raises suspicion," he charged .

"Is the stance of standing firmly with the government your face or a mask?" the BJP spokesperson asked, adding, "You keep on asking questions despite the fact that Operation Sindoor is going on, it raises questions on your intention and the intention looks dubious." On the issue of mediation, Trivedi said the government of India has "very unequivocally expressed that the issue of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir is a bilateral issue". It is to be settled in bilateral terms between India and Pakistan, he said.

"With due respect to all the countries in the world which are having a positive outlook for India, we want to say that this issue of PoK is just a bilateral issue between India and Pakistan," Trivedi said.

"There is no scope of any mediation by any country, including those countries which at one point of time were said to be guardians of democracy and were asked to interfere in the democratic process of India," he said.

Trivedi said the government has categorically explained that the word "ceasefire" has not been used. It is just an "operational break", he emphasised.

"Let the Operation Sindoor conclude, then say anything you want or demand convening a (special) Parliament session," Trivedi said.

"Let the things be completed, then whatever they want can be considered. But, during the course of action, you are asking for a Parliament session.

"I think this poses a serious question mark on the intent of the Congress and the opposition parties," he added.

He said the opposition should show its true spirit and shed the politics at least till Operation Sindoor concludes.

"And still if they want to go ahead, I think this again poses a serious question on the intent and commitment of them on the issue of national security in the eyes of the public," he added.

The BJP also took a swipe at the Congress for parrying a query on its stand on calls for boycotting trade and tourism with Turkey and Azerbaijan, who have supported Pakistan in the conflict with India.

BJP's IT department head Amit Malviya said on X, "The country is enraged by the support Turkey and Azerbaijan have extended to the terror state of Pakistan. There has been a growing call to boycott trade and tourism with these countries, and private citizens have stood up in solidarity." But, Malviya said, the Congress party cannot even bring itself to align with the broader sentiment of the Indian people.

He added, "No wonder it remains so disconnected from the public. It deserves its political oblivion and complete isolation." Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera told the media that the party will soon get back to them when a question was asked if the party supports the boycott call, according to a video clip posted by Malviya.