Parliament logjam may end on Monday with debate on Op Sindoor; conditions apply

A tentative truce has been reached between the Centre and the Opposition to pave the way for a 32-hour long discussion in Parliament on July 28 and July 29 on aspects of Operation Sindoor. If the two sides agree to the deal, struck at a meeting of Parliament’s Business Advisory Committee, on Friday (July 25), it would mark an end, though likely a brief one, to the acrimonious logjam that has prevented any meaningful proceedings in both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha since the monsoon session started on July 21.

Centre-Oppn agreement

The BAC met on Friday, after the fifth consecutive day of washout of parliamentary proceedings ended with the Centre and the Opposition agreeing to allow Parliament to function beginning Monday so that a discussion on Operation Sindoor could take place. Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju told reporters after the BAC meeting that an agreement had been reached between the government and the Opposition to have a 16 hour-long discussion in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, on July 28 and July 29, respectively, on “all aspects” of Operation Sindoor.

Also read: Parliament to debate Operation Sindoor next week, PM Modi may take part

“Before the monsoon session began, several opposition parties, including the Congress, had demanded that Operation Sindoor and the Pahalgam terror attack should be discussed in Parliament. The government said we are ready for a discussion, but the Opposition has been creating ruckus in Parliament from day one... today, in the BAC, all parties agreed that they will ensure a smooth functioning of the House from Monday so that we can have the discussion. I hope the parties will stick to their commitment... On Monday, we will have a special discussion for 16 hours in Lok Sabha on Operation Sindoor and then next day 16 hours in Rajya Sabha (sic),” Rijiju said.

PM may intervene in debate: Sources

Though Rijiju brushed aside questions on whether Modi will speak in Parliament during the discussion on Operation Sindoor, claiming that it is “for the government to decide who all will speak on its behalf”, sources said the prime minister would be making an “intervention” in the debate in both Houses. The main reply to the debate, however, is expected to come from Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, who will also open the discussion in both Houses. The BJP, sources said, will tap “several other ministers, including Home Minister Amit Shah and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, and some senior MPs” to make “important interventions on different issues linked with both Pahalgam terror attack and Operation Sindoor”.

Also read: Monsoon session, Day 4: Another day, same washout story

Launched on the intervening night of May 7 and May 8, Operation Sindoor was India’s response against the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that was executed by Pakistani terrorists at the Baisaran Meadows in South Kashmir’s Pahalgam. The attack had left 26 civilians dead. In response, the Indian Armed Forces had neutralised nine “terror hubs” operating across Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir and the Punjab Province of Pakistan.

Row over Trump's claim

The Operation had triggered a full-blown military conflict with Pakistan that lasted four days and ended abruptly on May 11 with US President Donald Trump’s sudden announcement on X about brokering an “immediate and complete ceasefire” between India and Pakistan.

Trump’s casual announcement on a social media platform that came even before the Indian Armed Forces and the Modi government could inform the country of the cessation of hostilities with Pakistan, triggered an immediate backlash from the Opposition, as India has historically kept third-party intervention in bilateral and military matters with Pakistan at bay.

Also read: Mallikarjun Kharge demands govt's clarification on Trump's ceasefire claims

Ever since, Trump has reiterated at least 25 times his claim of negotiating the ceasefire agreement between India and Pakistan by using the threat of stopping US trade with the two countries if they didn’t abide by his diktat while the Indian government has maintained that the cessation of hostilities was agreed upon between the two countries without any US involvement.

Stormy monsoon session

With its repeated demands for a special session of Parliament to be convened to discuss the Pahalgam attack and later Operation Sindoor rejected by the Centre, the Opposition had made it clear that it would press for a discussion on “all matters related to Pahalgam and Operation Sindoor” during the ongoing monsoon session. The Opposition’s INDIA bloc has also said that its demand for a reply from Prime Minister Modi during the discussion was non-negotiable. On its part, the government had been claiming that it was “open to a discussion” on Operation Sindoor, with Modi himself claiming on July 21 that the monsoon session would be celebrated as a “vijay utsav” (victory celebration).

Also read: Operation Sindoor debate: Has Modi outsmarted Opposition on Day 1?

However, with no clear assurance from the Centre about the prime minister’s reply to the Operation Sindoor discussion and resisting the Opposition’s demand for another discussion the ongoing special intensive revision (SIR) of poll-bound Bihar’s electoral rolls, the past five days of the monsoon session saw complete pandemonium in both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha with proceedings being adjourned repeatedly. The only legislative business that the government has been able to transact since July 21 is the passage of the Bills of Lading Bill, 2025 in Rajya Sabha on the first day of the session.

Dhankhar’s exit fresh flashpoint

The sudden resignation of Jagdeep Dhankhar as Vice President and ex-officio Chairman of Rajya Sabha late on Monday (July 21) evening has also become a flashpoint between the Centre and the Opposition. Though Dhankhar resigned citing “medical advice”, the Opposition has been asserting that there was more to his exit “than meets the eye”. Sources told The Federal that at Friday’s BAC meeting, the Opposition also demanded that the Centre allow a discussion on Dhankhar’s unexpected and unceremonious exit and that a farewell for the outgoing vice president must be organised. The Centre, however, was non-committal on both demands, an Opposition MP present at the BAC meeting said.

Also read: Dhankhar's exit, first 'blood on carpet' moment for Modi regime? Capital Beat

Rijiju hoped that the marathon discussions of July 28 and July 29 in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, respectively, would eventually pave the way for the smooth functioning of Parliament for the remainder of the monsoon session, which is scheduled to conclude on August 21. However, sources in the Opposition told The Federal that the onus of this is “entirely on the government”.

‘Opposition just doing its job’

“The responsibility of running Parliament smoothly is of the government; the Opposition is only doing its job, which is to seek answers from the government on important issues of national interest. Should the prime minister not explain to Parliament how the terror attack in Pahalgam was allowed to take place under his watch, should he not explain why the US president is claiming credit for the ceasefire and why our armed forces were forced to abruptly end their operation despite dominating over Pakistan,” Pramod Tiwari, Congress’ deputy leader in Rajya Sabha, told The Federal.

“There are other equally important issues on which the Opposition wants discussion, chief among them being the threat of mass scale disenfranchisement looming over the poor and marginalised sections of Bihar’s electorate due to the SIR,” he added.

Also read: Parliament session day 1: PM avoids all accountability, says TN MP Jothimani

RJD MP Premchand Gupta echoed similar views, saying while the Opposition will “cooperate for a discussion on July 28 and July 29 on Operation Sindoor, we also want the government to cooperate for a discussion on SIR and other important issues... Parliament cannot function only for endorsing the agenda of the government, it is the highest temple of our democracy and it must have place for the Opposition to raise matters of national importance and demand answers from the government, whether the government likes it or not.”