Jodhpur: With opposition parties demanding a special Parliament session in light of Operation Sindoor, Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat on Sunday asserted that the government has nothing to hide and they will have ample opportunity to ask questions during the Monsoon Session, which is a few weeks away.
The BJP leader, however, expressed doubts about whether the opposition parties intended to seek answers and pointed out that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had spoken extensively in recent days on key national issues, including Operation Sindoor, that they have been raising.
The Congress on Sunday demanded the immediate convening of a special session of Parliament to discuss the military and foreign policy strategy in the wake of remarks by Chief of Defence Staff Gen Anil Chauhan.
The Congress also asked that the government take all parties and the nation into confidence and discuss India’s defence preparedness and strategy after Operation Sindoor.
Speaking to the media on Sunday, Union Culture and Tourism Shekhawat pointed out that India’s parliamentary system already has well-established procedures for members to raise issues in both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha and seek answers.
“The Monsoon Session is about to start in the next 20-25 days, everyone will get an opportunity” to raise their issues, Shekhawat said.
He emphasised that the government is willing to resolve any confusion or concerns raised by the opposition and there is nothing to hide.
“In my view, the opposition should first decide what exactly they want to hear from the prime minister.
“If their intention is truly to seek answers, then over the past three days, the prime minister has already spoken in detail from three different parts of the country on the current state of the nation, Operation Sindoor, and all the key issues the opposition has been raising,” Shekhawat said.
Referring to Operation Sindoor, the BJP leader noted that the global community has been deeply impressed by India’s courage and strength displayed during the operation.
He took a swipe at the opposition parties, saying when they run out of substantive matters, they often resort to sensational topics to grab attention.
“In the last three days alone, the prime minister has addressed key national concerns, including Operation Sindoor, in great detail. These are the very matters the opposition claims it wants answers on,” Shekhawat added.
On the arrest of the personal secretary to former Congress minister Saleh Mohammad on charges of espionage, Shekhawat called the situation “unfortunate”. He stressed that a comprehensive investigation should be conducted into the matter.
“Be it a former minister or someone else, when it comes to national security, there must be a thorough and fair investigation.
“Every association and link of such persons must be scrutinised. Such anti-national activities cannot go unpunished,” he said.
