Senior Congress leader and former Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of communal polarisation by naming military and security operations after Hindu symbols. His remarks, made while responding to a query on ‘Operation Mahadev‘, have drawn sharp criticism from BJP leaders.
Chavan alleged that the BJP was injecting religious fundamentalism into national security matters. “They know nothing except naming operations after religious symbols. They inject religious fundamentalism into everything they do. I have read about wars in different countries. Though I am not a historian, but whether it’s world wars or any other war, has anyone used Christian (name for operations)?” he said.
The Congress leader was referring to ‘Operation Mahadev’ – the codename given to the joint operation by the Indian Army, CRPF, and Jammu and Kashmir Police to eliminate terrorists involved in the Pahalgam massacre in April 2025.
“They (BJP) want to mix Hindutva in whatever they do. They are trying to polarise the situation into a Hindu versus Muslim conflict,” Chavan said in a statement to PTI Videos.
Chavan also questioned the significance of the codename ‘Operation Sindoor’, used for India’s military response in May against Pakistan following the Pahalgam attack. “Operation Sindoor — what does it mean? It’s only a Hindu concept, not a world concept. Name of operation doesn’t matter as wars are won when one nation’s planes are attacked and ones destroyed,” he said.
He expressed disappointment with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh’s speech during Monday’s Parliament debate on the operation. “A discussion on Operation Sindoor is happening after a long time. I heard a few speeches. I was disappointed with the speech of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. We were expecting some facts to come to the fore. There were talks about our jets getting downed (during the conflict), they accepted it happened. When asked how many (jets) were downed, there was no answer,” he stated.
Chavan questioned the government’s claim that over 100 terrorists were killed in the operation and called for transparency regarding Indian losses. “They accepted losses (of fighter jets) happened. CDS Anil Chauhan had said that. (American) President Donald Trump had also said (about jet losses). Are they fearing that when we have spent a lot on Rafale jets, they were downed by Chinese jets (used by Pakistan)?” he said. “Who will challenge them. If I say thousands or two thousands (terrorists) were killed. It’s your figure… is there any evidence of such things?” he asked.
Responding to Chavan’s remarks, BJP national spokesperson CR Kesavan called them “most deplorable and shocking.”
In a post on X, Kesavan wrote, “Most deplorable and shocking remarks by Senior Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan, who says the names Operation Sindoor and Operation Mahadev denote religious fundamentalism. For the Communal Congress, sacred Sindoor and Lord Mahadev symbolise polarisation? What an appalling wretched mindset.”
He further cited national mottos and armed forces’ traditions with roots in Hindu scriptures. “सत्यमेव जयते [Satyameva Jayate] inscribed on our national symbol is from the Mundaka Upanishad. The motto of the Indian Navy ‘शं नो वरुणः’ (Sham No Varunah) is from the Rig Veda. So for the Communal Congress, are सत्यमेव जयते and शं नो वरुणः signs of religious fundamentalism?”
Kesavan demanded an apology from Chavan, stating, “Shame on the Congress party and Mr. Prithviraj Chavan ought to apologise to the armed forces and our nation immediately else it will go on to prove the entire Congress leadership agrees with his dangerous divisive mentality.”
Most deplorable and shocking remarks by Senior Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan, who says the names Operation Sindoor and Operation Mahadev denote religious fundamentalism. For the Communal Congress sacred Sindoor and Lord Mahadev symbolise polarisation ? What an appalling… pic.twitter.com/0elxhp3ELc
— C.R.Kesavan (@crkesavan) July 30, 2025
(With inputs from The Week)
Subscribe to our channels on Telegram, WhatsApp, and Instagram and get the best stories of the day delivered to you personally.
