Veteran actor and Samajwadi Party (SP) MP Jaya Bachchan stirred controversy in the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday after questioning the name of ‘Operation Sindoor’, launched in response to the Pahalgam terror attack in April that caused 26 lives.
Jaya Bachchan In Rajya Sabha
Speaking during a debate on the operation, Ms Bachchan expressed condolences to the victims’ families. Subsequently, she attacked the government, saying, “I would congratulate you on the writers you have hired. You give grand names. Why did you name it ‘Sindoor’? ‘Sindoor toh ujad gaya.” As she referred to the symbolic loss and grief of the victims’ families.
Her speech was repeatedly interrupted by members of the ruling party, prompting a sharp response. Ms Bachchan said, “Either you speak or I will speak. When you speak, I don’t interrupt. When a woman speaks, I never interrupt. So please mind your tongue.”
The moment grew more tense when fellow MP Priyanka Chaturvedi of Shiv Sena (UBT) tried to calm her down. Ms Bachchan responded, “Priyanka, don’t control me,” drawing laughs from Chaturvedi and others present.
Ms Bachchan also criticised the government for an alleged intelligence failure, saying, “You have destroyed the faith of the people. The families of the victims will never forgive you.”
Her remarks drew a sharp rebuttal from the BJP, with party spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla defending the name ‘Operation Sindoor’. “Sindoor is not just an ornament; it symbolises strength. The message was clear — if you wipe our sindoor, we will wipe you out. That’s what Operation Sindoor delivered,” he said, accusing the opposition of demoralising the armed forces.
Operation Sindoor was reportedly named by Prime Minister Narendra Modi after terrorists in Pahalgam’s Baisaran Valley rounded up Hindu men and shot them in front of their families on April 22. The operation was launched to eliminate those responsible.
