Rahul tutored by NGOs that good days will come for Cong; he is not interested in running Par: Rijiju
Tawang (PTI): Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju on Monday claimed that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is not interested in the smooth functioning of Parliament, and some NGOs have tutored him that "good days" will come for his party and that is why he has been stalling the House.
Rijiju also said that the government is not going to take any more extra steps to "placate" the Congress to defuse the situation in Parliament as he had made "many attempts" so that the House functions properly, but in vain.
"Rahul Gandhi is not interested in running the House. He is interested in making issues. Rahul Gandhi was tutored by some NGOs that your days will come. But their days won't come. In the next elections, their tally (in the Lok Sabha) will further go down," he told PTI in an interview here.
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Rijiju, who is on a visit to his Lok Sabha constituency Arunachal West, said the ruling alliance has no problem with the opposition stalling the House as he had made many attempts to defuse the situation, including speaking to senior Congress leader K C Venugopal and a few others.
"We are not going to do anything extra to placate the Congress. The Congress is frustrated because the party is losing election after election. They are desperate to change the situation," he said.
The Union minister claimed there was pressure on the Congress from the smaller parties in Parliament to not stall the House because they lose out their time to speak.
"All opposition is not with the Congress. Smaller parties are not being able to utilise their respective party time. Smaller parties are unhappy with Rahul Gandhi. Some of them have not even signed the motion against the Speaker," he said.
Rijiju said some members of other political parties kept telling him that they wanted the House to function.
Most days of the first part of the Budget Session in the Lok Sabha witnessed disruptions and adjournments after Gandhi was disallowed by the Chair from quoting an article based on excerpts of former Army chief M M Naravane's "unpublished memoir", which has references to the India-China conflict of 2020.
Eight opposition members were suspended for the remainder of the Budget Session for unruly behaviour in the House.
The opposition also moved a No-confidence Motion against Speaker Om Birla for his removal from office, alleging that he had acted in a "blatantly partisan" manner.
The Speaker last week decided to step aside from his role as the presiding officer of the House, hours after the opposition submitted the motion for his removal from office, alleging that he had acted in a "blatantly partisan" manner.
The Budget Session, which started with the President's address to the joint sitting of Parliament, on January 28 and went on recess on February 12. The Budget 2026 was presented on February 1. The session will be reconvened on March 9 and will end on April 2.
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Rajnath, Shah, other Union ministers change social media profile photos to 'Op Sindoor' logo
New Delhi (PTI): Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Home Minister Amit Shah, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and other top ministers on Thursday changed the display pictures on their social media profiles to mark the first anniversary of Operation Sindoor following a call by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The prime minister, earlier in the day, shared a digital poster depicting the now widely recognised logo of Operation Sindoor and urged others to do the same as a mark of respect to the armed forces.
Operation Sindoor was launched in response to the deadly Pahalgam terror attack, with Indian forces conducting precision strikes on multiple terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied-Kashmir (PoK).
After launching the military operation, the Indian Army, in a post on X, at 1:51 am on May 7 had said, "Justice is served. Jai Hind!"
On its first anniversary, the Indian military on Thursday said, Operation Sindoor -- "precise in action, eternal in memory" -- reflected the country's determination to defend its sovereignty with courage, coordination and strength.
The Army, the Navy, the Indian Air Force, the Headquarters Integrated Defence Staff (HQ IDS) and the defence ministry also updated the display pictures on their social media profiles to mark the anniversary.
Defence Minister Singh, while updating his profile photo on X, said Operation Sindoor stands as a "powerful symbol" of national resolve and preparedness, and that their actions reflected unmatched precision, and set a "benchmark" for modern military operations.
"On the anniversary of Operation Sindoor, we salute the valour and sacrifices of our armed forces, whose courage and dedication continue to safeguard the nation. Their actions during the operation reflected unmatched precision, seamless jointness and deep synergy across services, setting a benchmark for modern military operations," he wrote.
"Operation Sindoor stands as a powerful symbol of national resolve and preparedness, showing that our armed forces are always ready to act decisively when it matters most. It also stands testament to India’s steady advance towards achieving #Atmanirbharta, enhancing capability while reinforcing resilience," he added.
The Ministry of External Affairs, led by its minister Jaishankar, also marked the anniversary, and reasserted and amplified India's diplomatic stand on this operation.
"A year ago, #OperationSindoor demonstrated the nation's resolve to defend itself against cross-border terrorism from Pakistan. With its decisive actions, India ensured accountability for terrorist actions. And underlined that such a serious threat to peace and security will be effectively countered. Under the leadership of PM @narendramodi, India stands strong and determined to convey a message of zero tolerance for terrorism," the EAM posted on X.
Earlier in a separate post, Jaishankar too changed his profile picture and posted an image of the Operation Sindoor logo on the timeline.
Home Minister Shah, in a post on X, said, "Operation Sindoor stands as an epochal mission of India that will always remind our enemies of the infallible striking power of our armed forces."
After Indian forces had launched the operation in the early hours of May 7, Pakistan later also launched offensives against India, and all subsequent counter-offensives by India were also carried out under Operation Sindoor.
The military conflict between the two nuclear-armed neighbours, lasting nearly 88 hours, halted after they reached an understanding on the evening of May 10.
Union Culture and Tourism Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnav, Environment Minister Bhupendra Yadav, Women and Child Development Annapurna Devi and Jal Shakti Minister C R Paatil too updated their profile photos.
The Indian Army in an early morning post wrote, "#OperationSindoor India's resolute response calibrated and precise. Committed to safeguarding sovereignty and its people. #JusticeServed Jai Hind".
It also shared a video clip encapsulating the circumstances that led to the decisive military action in the early hours of May 7 last year, as well as some footage offering a glimpse to the military might of India.
"India will identify, track and punish every terrorist and their backers," PM Modi had earlier said in his address, whose excerpt is part of the widely shared clip.
Recalling the military action launched on the intervening night of May 6-7, the Indian Air Force put out the anniversary post on X at 1:05 AM.
"Operation Sindoor Justice served. Precise in action, eternal in memory-Operation Sindoor continues. India forgets nothing-India forgives nothing. #operation #Sindoor #operationsindoor #IAF," the IAF posted.
The Headquarters Integrated Defence Staff (HQ IDS) also posted the anniversary message at 1:05 AM, saying, "Symbol of national resolve #OpSindoor JAI HIND #OpSindoor #indianarmedforces #NationalSecurity".
The Indian embassies in the US, the UK, Spain, France, Germany and Italy also updated their display pictures on their social media profiles.
The embassies in France, Germany, Spain and Italy posted on X in French, German and Italian, amplifying the message of the Indian leadership on Operation Sindoor's anniversary in the respective countries.
The Indian Embassy in the UK posted on X, "One year of #OperationSindoor A tribute to India’s resolve, unity, and unwavering stand against terrorism. Saluting the courage and sacrifice of our armed forces who protect the nation with pride and honor. #OpSindoor #IndiaAgainstTerrorism #IndianArmedForces #NationalSecurity #IndiaFirst #SaluteOurForces #JaiHind #OperationSindoorContinues".
The Indian embassy in Israel also changed its profile photo on X and reposted PM Modi's post, and the X account of the embassy in Iran too changed the display picture to the logo of Operation Sindoor.
The Indian Navy in an early morning post on X said Operation Sindoor reflected India's determination to defend its sovereignty with courage and strength.
"Nation's Resolve. Forces United In moments that test a nation's will, the Indian Defence Forces stand united - resolute in purpose, precise in action and unwavering in commitment. #OperationSindoor reflects India's determination to defend its sovereignty with courage, coordination and strength. #OpSindoor #NationFirst #IndianNavy @HQ_IDS_India @adgpi @IAF_MCC," the Navy posted and changed its profile photo.
