New Delhi, Dec 31 (UNI): The Congress on Wednesday sought an explanation from Prime Minister Narendra Modi over claims by China that it mediated between India and Pakistan during the abrupt halt of Operation Sindoor in May 2025, saying such assertions raise serious questions about India’s national security and contradict what the government has led the country to believe.
Congress general secretary in charge of communications Jairam Ramesh said the Prime Minister’s continued silence on repeated claims by US President Donald Trump—and now similar claims by China—was deeply troubling.
“President Trump has long claimed that he personally intervened to halt Operation Sindoor on May 10, 2025. He has made this claim 65 times in various forums across at least seven countries. The Prime Minister has never broken his silence,” Ramesh said.
He added that the issue had taken a more serious turn with the Chinese Foreign Minister also asserting that Beijing had played a mediating role.
“Now the Chinese Foreign Minister makes a similar claim and says China also mediated. Given that China was decisively aligned with Pakistan, such claims are not just concerning—they make a joke of our national security itself,” Ramesh said.
Operation Sindoor was a major military operation launched by the Indian Armed Forces in the early hours of May 7, 2025. It was a retaliatory response to a terrorist attack that occurred in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, on April 22, 2025, which killed 26 innocent civilians. The operation followed heightened tensions with Pakistan, with the government later announcing that military operations had been halted after objectives were achieved. However, opposition leaders have repeatedly questioned the circumstances under which the operation was stopped and whether external pressure played any role.
Ramesh pointed to a public statement made on July 4, 2025, by Deputy Chief of Army Staff Lt Gen Rahul Singh, who said that during Operation Sindoor, India was “actually confronting and combating China.”
“If that is the case, and if China was aligned with Pakistan, then Chinese claims of mediation directly contradict what the people of India have been told,” Ramesh said.
Placing the controversy in the broader context of India-China relations, the Congress leader said recent re-engagement with Beijing had taken place “largely on Chinese terms.” He referred to the Prime Minister’s statement of June 19, 2020, following the Galwan clashes, which the Congress has often described as a “clean chit” to China.
“That statement considerably weakened India’s negotiating position,” Ramesh alleged.
He also flagged economic and strategic concerns, noting that India’s trade deficit with China was at record levels and that Indian exports were heavily dependent on Chinese imports.
“Provocative actions by China in relation to Arunachal Pradesh continue unabated,” he said.
“Amidst such a lopsided and hostile relationship, the people of India deserve clarity on what role, if any, China played in the abrupt halt to Operation Sindoor,” Ramesh said, reiterating the Congress demand that the Prime Minister break his silence and place the full facts before the nation.
