Indian opposition demands defence minister's resignation for 'lying' about soldiers' deaths in 2025 conflict with Pakistan

India’s opposition party Congress has demanded the resignation of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and stepped up criticism against him for “lying” in parliament about the deaths of Indian soldiers during the May 2025 conflict with Pakistan, according to Indian media. The criticism comes days after the Indian government on June 26 disclosed the names of six armed forces personnel who died during the military conflict, dubbed “Operation Sindoor” by New Delhi. The names were included in the Roll of Honour on the National War Memorial website, marking the first official disclosure of military casualties from the period, The Hindu noted. Subsequently, on Monday, chairperson of the Congress’s Ex-servicemen Department Col. (retd) Rohit Chaudhry and Wing Commander (retd) Anuma Acharya slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government for concealing the deaths of the six personnel, The Hindu reported. In a press conference, Chaudhry demanded that Singh be removed from his position and that Modi and his party lawmakers apologise for “supporting” the minister’s lies. Chaudhry accused Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of using “soldiers as props” while seeking votes in the name of the armed forces, the outlet added. “When Rajnath Singh was lying in Parliament that no soldier had suffered any loss, BJP MPs were clapping,” he said. “The foundation of the Modi government is built on lies. They have no right to remain in power,” the Congress member said, questioning why it had taken the government 13 months to make their names public. In another move against the defence minister, India Today reported that parliament member K.C. Venugopal on Tuesday sought privilege proceedings against Singh for allegedly misleading the Lok Sabha about the six Indian soldiers — five from the army and one from the air force. The outlet noted that an Indian parliament member may seek a privilege motion when alleging that another member or a minister has breached parliamentary privilege. “This amounts