Mumbai, June 11 (IANS) Senior Congress leader and former Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan on Wednesday termed the recent diplomatic outreach under ‘Operation Sindoor’ “unsuccessful” and questioned why India’s top leadership, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, was not more directly involved in the international effort to present India’s stance on Pakistan.

He also demanded a special session of Parliament to review and discuss the operation in detail.

Speaking to IANS, Prithviraj Chavan said, “Sending an all-party delegation abroad was a good initiative and has been done in the past as well. It sends a message of national unity. However, it could have been approached differently. During her tenure, former PM Indira Gandhi sent individual leaders abroad – like Atal Bihari Vajpayee to the US – and even Jayaprakash Narayan visited Germany secretly. The real question is whether the all-party delegation made any tangible impact. Unfortunately, the answer is no.”

He emphasised that the MPs were not to blame.

“They did their job sincerely. The real failure lies with the Ministry of External Affairs. They were unable to arrange meetings with top leadership in most countries. A diplomatic outreach is successful only if it garners international attention and elicits a response from global leadership—and that simply didn’t happen this time.”

“There was barely any media coverage of the visit. Not even BBC, France 24, or major Western outlets reported on it. Only Al Jazeera mentioned it – and even that coverage lacked detail or analysis. The only notable media presence was in Russia. Yes, (US Vice President) J.D. Vance met Shashi Tharoor, but Vance already shares a unique relationship with India. Overall, the mission lacked impact and visibility.”

He also questioned the choice of delegates. “Why was there such reluctance to send top Indian leadership abroad? Pakistan’s Prime Minister is actively meeting foreign leaders – including the President of Turkey – while our Prime Minister is missing from the scene. If we want to make a strong diplomatic statement, it must come from the top, not just MPs.”

On the need for a Special Session on Operation Sindoor, Chavan was clear.

“Yes, it is necessary. My personal opinion is that a three- or four-day special session must be held. We have a precedent for this. In times of national crisis, special sessions or national broadcasts have been held—in 1947, 1962, 1965, 1971, and even in 1999 during the Kargil War. In 1947, there was no Parliament, yet then-PM Jawaharlal Nehru addressed the nation on the radio. In 1962, former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee – then a young MP – set aside political differences to stand united with Nehru. These are the examples we must follow.”

“In 1999, during the Kargil war, there was no functioning Parliament, but Vajpayee held detailed discussions with the Opposition. Within two days, a Kargil Enquiry Committee was set up. Will PM Modi show the same openness and urgency? Or is the current government more focused on optics than accountability?”

Chavan criticised the Prime Minister’s absence from direct diplomatic engagements.

“Why hasn’t PM Modi gone abroad to advocate India’s position himself? He didn’t participate in the delegation, didn’t hold any press conferences, and didn’t meet with any global leaders. Is he only focused on the Bihar elections now? Previous Prime Ministers—from Indira Gandhi to Atal Bihari Vajpayee—never shied away from engaging the world in times of national interest. Why is PM Modi silent now?”

Chavan reiterated his demand for a special session of Parliament to openly discuss what was done under Operation Sindoor, what went wrong, and what the path forward should be.

–IANS

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