Samajwadi Party (SP) MP and veteran actor Jaya Bachchan ignited a controversy during a 16-hour Rajya Sabha debate on Operation Sindoor, questioning the operation’s name while expressing condolences for the 26 civilians killed in the April 22, 2025, Pahalgam terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Baisaran Valley. Addressing the treasury benches, Bachchan remarked, “I congratulate you on your writers. Why did you name it ‘Sindoor’? Sindoor toh ujad gaya (sindoor was destroyed), the wives of those killed are left behind.” Her comments referred to the symbolic vermilion (sindoor) worn by Hindu married women, noting the attack’s devastating impact on victims’ families, as terrorists targeted Hindu men, shooting them in front of their wives and children.

Bachchan’s speech drew interruptions from ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MPs, prompting her to retort, “Either you speak or I speak. When a woman speaks, I never interrupt. Mind your tongue.” She also rebuked Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi, seated beside her, for attempting to calm her, saying, “Priyanka, don’t control me,” to which Chaturvedi responded with a laugh. Bachchan criticized the government for intelligence failures leading to the attack, stating, “You have destroyed the faith of the people. The families will never forgive you.”

The remarks sparked a sharp rebuttal from BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla, who defended the name chosen by PM Narendra Modi, saying, “Sindoor is not just embellishment; it’s a symbol of strength. Operation Sindoor sent a message: you wipe off sindoor, we will destroy you.” He accused SP and Congress of demoralizing the armed forces. Operation Sindoor, launched May 7, 2025, targeted nine terror camps in Pakistan and PoK, neutralizing over 100 terrorists, including Lashkar-e-Taiba’s Suleman Shah in Operation Mahadev on July 28, 2025. 

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The debate saw BJP leaders, including Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, highlight the operation’s success, while opposition leaders like Congress’s Mallikarjun Kharge and Gaurav Gogoi questioned security lapses and the May 10 ceasefire, referencing US President Donald Trump’s mediation claims, which India rejected. The controversy underscores ongoing tensions over national security narratives post-Pahalgam.

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