Prime Minister Narendra Modi will convene the first meeting of the Council of Ministers on June 4 at 4:30 pm, marking a significant moment amid heightened national security and political tensions following the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack and India’s subsequent Operation Sindoor — a large-scale retaliatory strike targeting nine terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).
During a public address in West Bengal, PM Modi confirmed that Operation Sindoor is still ongoing and declared that India has now set a “new normal” in its counter-terrorism doctrine, implying a more aggressive and sustained response to cross-border terror provocations.
This development comes as the Opposition intensifies its demand for a special session of Parliament, citing the scale of the operation and the loss of military assets. The demand has been further galvanized by Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan’s remarks at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore. In a candid interview with Bloomberg, General Chauhan admitted:
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India made “mistakes” during the early phases of Operation Sindoor.
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India did lose jets, though he didn’t specify how many.
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He dismissed Pakistani claims of downing six Indian jets (including four Rafales) as “absolutely incorrect.”
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He emphasized that why jets were lost and what was learned from those early missteps matters more than the number of aircraft.
This rare acknowledgment from India's top military official has prompted a political storm.
Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge criticized the Modi government for what he called a “lack of transparency”, demanding a Parliament session to clarify India's military losses and strategic decisions. Kharge also accused the government of “misleading the nation” in light of General Chauhan’s revelations.
Additionally, Kharge slammed PM Modi for focusing on election campaigning while taking personal credit for the military’s actions. He also demanded clarity on former US President Donald Trump’s repeated claims that he brokered a ceasefire between India and Pakistan during heightened tensions. Trump has suggested that US tariffs and trade leverage were used to pressure both nations into de-escalation — a claim India continues to deny as “false and self-serving.”
The June 4 ministerial meeting is expected to address Operation Sindoor and its wider implications, especially as the Opposition pushes for greater accountability and transparency in national security matters.
