Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday during his address in the Lok Sabha on Operation Sindoor hailed India’s retaliatory military strikes against terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) a massive success while dismissing apprehensions that India agreed to a premature ceasefire under pressure from The United States of America. The operation, launched on May 6–7, 2025, was in response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that claimed 26 civilian lives, primarily tourists, in Kashmir. Donald Trump so far in different occasions, had claimed 29 times that he had successfully brokered ceasefire between India and Pakistan by using the ‘trade’ card. Opposition had slammed Modi government for not countering the statement and accused them of lacking the political will to fully support the armed forces, claiming operational constraints led to losses of unconfirmed number of Indian fighter jets.
In his speech, Prime Minister Modi firmly rejected the notion that any foreign leader influenced India’s actions during Operation Sindoor. “No leader in the world asked India to stop its operation,” he declared, directly addressing Trump’s claims without naming him. “The ceasefire on May 10 was agreed to after Pakistan pleaded for one, not because of any external pressure. Our forces acted with full confidence, and the operation continues as needed.” Recounting a moment, Modi revealed details of a phone call with US Vice President J.D. Vance on May 9, hours after India launched its strikes. “On the night of May 9, the Vice President of America tried to talk to me. He tried for an hour, but I was in a meeting with my forces, so I could not pick up his call,” Modi said. “When I returned the call, he told me Pakistan was planning a big attack. My answer was clear: if Pakistan has this intention, it will cost them dearly. Agar Pakistan hamla karega, hum bada hamla kar ke jawab denge. I said, ‘Goli ka jawab gola se denge’ (We will respond to a bullet with a cannonball).” Modi underscored the effectiveness of India’s military response, noting that the strikes targeted nine terror camps, killing over 100 terrorists, including key figures responsible for past attacks. “Our missiles attacked Pakistan in a way they could not even imagine,” he said, adding that Pakistan’s subsequent drone and missile attacks- over 1,000 launched between May 7 and 10 were neutralised without a single target hit in India.
Rahul Gandhi had demanded clarity on Trump’s repeated assertions that he mediated a ceasefire between India and Pakistan. Gandhi challenged Modi to directly call Trump a “liar” in Parliament, citing Trump’s claims that he used trade leverage to halt the conflict and that five Indian jets were downed during the operation. The opposition also alleged that the Modi government lacked the political will to fully support the armed forces, claiming operational constraints led to losses. “If he has half of Indira Gandhi’s guts then I challenge him to call out Trump a liar from the floor of the parliament”, Gandhi had dared. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, however, didn’t Trump’s name even for once during his 100 minute long speech.
Responding to Rahul Gandhi’s charge that the government “tied the hands” of the armed forces, Modi dismissed the allegations as politically motivated. “After the Pahalgam attack, Pakistan anticipated a big response from India. They issued nuclear threats, but on the night of May 6–7, we conducted an operation the way we wanted, and Pakistan couldn’t do anything. In 22 minutes, we avenged the April 22 attack,” he asserted.
Modi also criticised the Congress for undermining national security, accusing them of echoing Pakistan’s propaganda. “Some are playing politics when our forces are engaged in a battle of resolve. Weakening the morale of our troops through misinformation helps the enemy,” he said, without directly naming Congress. He highlighted India’s growing defence self-reliance, crediting young innovators in the private sector for their role in Operation Sindoor’s success.
Opposition parties like Congress, Trinamool Congress, Samajwadi Party and others part of the INDIA bloc had questioned the government over the ceasefire stating that India had lost the golden opportunity to assert its might and take back Pakistan occupied Kashmir. Indian defence minister Rajnath Singh on Monday had claimed that India’s stance at the very outset had been non-escalatory and didn’t intend to target Pakistan beyond the terror camps mushrooming there.
