Government is not the nation: Manoj Jha tears into Centre over 'Op Sindoor' response

New Delhi, July 30 (IANS) RJD Rajya Sabha MP Manoj Jha on Wednesday delivered a scathing speech in Parliament, criticising the Centre for equating itself with the nation and for politicising the valour of the Indian armed forces.

Participating in the debate on 'Operation Sindoor' in the Rajya Sabha, Jha raised serious concerns about the government's response to the Pahalgam terror attack and questioned the narrative that Pakistan did not harm any Indian assets during the operation.

He criticised the Centre for failing to acknowledge the loss of lives during the cross-border firing in Jammu and Kashmir while 'Operation Sindoor' was underway.

"The Pahalgam attack was not just the personal pain to the families of the victims but also the collective pain of the entire nation. It's time for the Parliament to apologise to the public for all the terror incidents -- be it Uri or Pahalgam," Jha stated, urging an honest reflection from the political leadership of the country.

He condemned the government's repeated claims that Pakistan was unable to harm any Indian assets.

"The NSA had said that India did not even lose a piece of glass. I would like to ask -- are the people of Poonch and Rajouri less than a piece of glass? Why did he not mention the lives lost?" Jha asked, pointing to what he called an erasure of sacrifice and loss.

Manoj Jha also criticised the government's lack of transparency, stating that there were reports that Intelligence agencies had prior information about the attack.

"If this is true, then what actions were taken? We are clueless about it to date. National security is not just sloganeering but also a responsibility," he said.

Jha stressed that national unity in the face of tragedy must not be exploited to shield the government from accountability.

"It is the beauty of this country that whatever problems or disasters come, the entire nation starts to think likewise. However, this national unity in the time of grief should not become a shield to protect the government from valid criticism," he said.

Drawing a distinction between the Indian armed forces and political discourse, he said, "Just like Milind said yesterday, every nation has an army; the Pakistani Army has a nation. The beauty of our Army is that they don't wear any religion or ideology. On their sleeves and in their hearts, everywhere there is the Tricolour. This is the approach that we should also follow."

He also brought up a controversial BJP social media post made after the Pahalgam attack.

"When Pahalgam happened, an X handle posted, 'Unhone dharam poocha, jaati nahi (They asked about the victims' religion, not caste).' We lost people, but after that tweet, even Bharat Mata got hurt. The terrorists wanted this to happen because there was hate in every bullet. However, the soil of our country did not allow the hate to affect the countrymen."

He praised the unity and resilience shown by citizens, stating, "They (terrorists) failed. India gave a lesson by sending Sofiya Qureshi and Vyomika Singh, who came for briefings and filled our hearts with pride. That is our India. We want that India. They cannot divide India on the terms of religion."

Slamming the ruling party for comparing terrorism incidents under the Modi government with those under the UPA, Jha said, "I am seeing people say that in our tenure the number reduced, earlier it was more. I would like to say, humans are not numbers; you cannot send them to the archives, saying this person died. The person is not just a number. People lost their children. No one can fill the vacuum created by the loss of life."

"It is not right for business to go as usual from the next day. Today, an attack happened, let's forget it tomorrow? What will we do by playing politics over the valour of our forces? We have proper issues to discuss for politics, but not the valour of the forces," he said.

He criticised Defence Minister Rajnath Singh's remarks in the Lok Sabha and questioned the government's communication strategy.

"Rajnath Singh yesterday said that he has come to present India's stance. In 'Operation Sindoor' outreach, leaders from several political outfits went to present India's stance on the global front. This is India's Parliament; you should have presented the government's stance here. We had questions from the government, not from India or its forces. Government is not synonymous with the nation. Parties will be lost and others will come, but let the country remain (Desh rehne dijiye)," he said.

He also took aim at the repeated mention of late Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru in parliamentary debates, saying, "This government uses Nehru as a life vest."

Jha praised the unprecedented reaction of Kashmiris after the Pahalgam terror attack, saying that people across the region expressed full solidarity with the victims.

He concluded by expressing concern over the erosion of constitutional responsibility.

"This Cabinet has lost the notion of collective responsibility," he said, adding that diplomacy should not be treated as a "trial balloon."

While praising the government's initiative to send goodwill missions abroad, he suggested that similar efforts should be made domestically.

"Some minister should not make derogatory remarks against an Indian officer for her surname and get away with it," he remarked.

--IANS

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