What Prithviraj Chavan has said on ‘Operation Sindoor’ is completely false: Ramdas Athawale

New Delhi, Dec 17 (IANS) Union Minister Ramdas Athawale on Wednesday refuted the remarks made by Congress leader and former Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan on Operation Sindoor, asserting that the claims were entirely incorrect and misleading.

Athawale’s reaction came after Chavan alleged that India suffered a defeat on the first day of Operation Sindoor and that Indian aircraft were shot down during the four-day military engagement. Responding to these assertions, the Union Minister said such statements were irresponsible and did not reflect the reality of the operation.

Speaking to IANS, Ramdas Athawale said, “I firmly believe that whatever Prithviraj Chavan has said is completely false. He is a responsible leader who has served as the Chief Minister of Maharashtra, and such remarks are not expected from someone of his stature. Operation Sindoor was a highly successful mission in which more than 100 terrorists were eliminated. Pakistan was gripped by fear after the operation. In such a situation, it is completely wrong to portray the operation as a defeat for India.”

He further added that misrepresenting a successful military operation only weakens national morale.

“We did not lose Operation Sindoor. On the contrary, it was a decisive action. The Congress party, however, lost the 2024 elections and also suffered defeats in states like Bihar and Maharashtra. Making such statements is not appropriate and only reflects political frustration. Issuing comments like these is very wrong,” Athawale said.

The Union Minister also responded to comments made by West Bengal Governor C.V. Anand Bose regarding the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process of electoral rolls in the state. Bose had stated that the SIR exercise has led to the identification and exit of illegal Bangladeshi infiltrators since its implementation.

Supporting the Governor’s remarks, Athawale said the SIR process was necessary to ensure electoral integrity.

“The Governor of West Bengal has clearly stated that no one has the right to vote illegally. Since the SIR process began, many illegal Bangladeshi immigrants have returned to Bangladesh. This is an important development. The SIR was required to clean the voter rolls and protect the voting rights of genuine citizens,” Athawale said.

He also pointed out that even the Congress has raised concerns about alleged ‘vote theft’ and wrongful deletion of names from electoral rolls.

“The Congress itself demands that there should be no vote theft and that names should not be arbitrarily removed. Therefore, the SIR process cannot be termed anti-any party. It is a neutral exercise aimed at cleaning the voter list and safeguarding democratic rights. In that sense, the SIR was necessary,” he added.

Meanwhile, earlier in the day, Governor Bose had stated that infiltration became more evident after the SIR process began and that there was a visible outflow of illegal migrants from West Bengal to Bangladesh.

“Infiltration is a reality, and the SIR process has brought this issue to the forefront. There is a noticeable movement of illegal migrants back across the border. This phenomenon has been studied extensively. As far as elections are concerned, the SIR will certainly bring change and cleanse the system to a large extent,” Bose told IANS.

When asked about the impact of illegal immigrants on elections, the Governor noted that while the problem may not be entirely eliminated, it has significantly reduced. “After the SIR, the chances of illegal infiltrators influencing elections have decreased. I am not saying the issue is completely resolved, but it has certainly lessened,” he said.

The SIR exercise in West Bengal began on December 4 and concluded on December 11. The process witnessed the departure of a significant number of illegal Bangladeshi nationals and also triggered protests by booth-level officers (BLOs), who cited work pressure and tight deadlines.

Following the completion of the exercise, the Election Commission of India released the draft electoral rolls for the upcoming West Bengal Assembly elections. As a result of the SIR process, over 58 lakh voter names have been identified for removal.

The publication of the draft voter list marks the conclusion of the enumeration phase and the start of a more rigorous stage involving claims, objections, and hearings. The second phase of the three-stage SIR exercise will continue until February 2026, with the final voter list scheduled to be published on February 14, 2026, ahead of the West Bengal Assembly elections.

–IANS

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