New Delhi: Government on Monday agreed to a 16-hour discussion in the Lok Sabha on Operation Sindoor and Pahalgam terror attack, and it is likely to be taken up next week, even as the opposition insisted that it should start this week itself and Prime Minister Narendra Modi must reply.
At the meeting of the Business Advisory Committee (BAC), attended by members of different parties and chaired by Speaker Om Birla, sources said that the government representatives noted that PM Modi is leaving on a foreign visit this week, and a debate when he is present in the House is possible only next week.
Asked if the government’s stand means that Modi may speak on the issue in the House, official sources said no decision has been taken yet.
The prime minister met his senior Cabinet colleagues who later held deliberations among themselves on the ruling alliance’s strategy.
Opposition members protested at the BAC meeting that the government’s agenda for this week did not mention their demand for a debate on the issue.
They said the home minister and the defence minister should also be present during the discussion.
Some opposition members also called for a debate on the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls in Bihar and the situation in Manipur.
With the impasse continuing, the Lower House was adjourned for the day as protesting opposition members disrupted proceedings.
Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi later slammed the government for not including the opposition’s demand for a discussion on the Pahalgam terror attack and Operation Sindoor in this week’s agenda.
Speaking to reporters, he accused the government of double standards, saying it does not follow what it claims in public.
“The government is listing its bills but is not ready to prioritise an issue on which the entire nation wants to hear from Parliament,” he said.
Lok Sabha expresses resolve for zero tolerance against terrorism
The Lok Sabha on Monday expressed its resolve for zero tolerance against terrorism and mourned the deaths of 26 people in the Pahalgam terror attack.
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla also expressed grief over the deaths of 260 people in the June 12 Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad.
“Twenty-six innocent persons were brutally killed in the terror attack at Pahalgam in Jammu and Kashmir on April 22, 2025. This act of terror was an attack on the consciousness of the nation and also the entire world,” Birla said as the Lok Sabha convened for the Monsoon session beginning Monday.
“This House expresses deep grief over the deaths in this attack and reiterates India’s resolve of zero tolerance against terrorism,” he said.
Birla said 260 people, including 241 passengers and 19 others, died in the Air India crash.
“Former Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani also died in this accident,” Birla said.
“This House expresses its heartfelt sympathies to the families of the victims of this accident,” he added.
The Lok Sabha also expressed grief over the deaths due to natural disasters such as heavy rains, floods, and landslides in different parts of the country.
