In a political flashpoint charged with military undertones, the Congress on Sunday demanded the immediate convening of a special session of Parliament to discuss India’s defence preparedness and foreign policy strategy, following startling revelations by Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan during a televised interview in Singapore.

For the first time since Operation Sindoor, India’s four-day military offensive launched in retaliation to the Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 civilians, the country’s top military official has publicly acknowledged aircraft losses due to a “tactical mistake” on the opening day of strikes, May 7.

General Chauhan, speaking to Bloomberg TV at the Shangri-La Dialogue, stated that the armed forces had "rectified tactics" and launched precision airstrikes deep into

Pakistani territory after suffering initial setbacks. He dismissed Pakistan’s claim of downing six Indian fighter jets – including Rafales – as “absolutely incorrect”, but stopped short of sharing actual numbers, only stressing: “What is important is why they were downed.”

The Congress, seizing on the disclosures, questioned the government’s continued silence and demanded clarity in Parliament.

“It would have been far more appropriate had the Prime Minister or the Raksha Mantri briefed opposition leaders in an all-party meeting,” said Jairam Ramesh, Congress general secretary in charge of communications.

“Instead, we’re learning about this from the CDS’s statements in Singapore. This strengthens our demand for a special Parliament session to discuss strategic, foreign policy, and defence concerns in the post-Sindoor era,” ramesh told PTI.

The opposition party also called for an independent defence preparedness review, reminiscent of the Kargil Review Committee set up by then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

Ramesh further asked whether such a mechanism was in the works now that the CDS has alluded to Indian losses and a tactical error.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge had already accused the government of misleading the country, and his colleagues echoed that frustration on Sunday.

“This is not a routine military update. This is the first official admission that our jets went down in enemy engagement,” said Congress deputy leader in the Rajya Sabha Pramod Tiwari. “Why are the statements coming from Singapore and not from Parliament?”

Pawan Khera, head of the party’s media and publicity department, demanded answers beyond military candour.

“Where are the terrorists responsible for Pahalgam? What were the terms of the ceasefire? Why did political leaders go abroad to discuss Operation Sindoor while keeping Parliament in the dark? These questions cannot be answered by the armed forces—they must be answered by the government,” Khera said.

The government has so far not responded to the calls for a special session. Meanwhile, sources within the army have refused to disclose further details about the number and types of aircraft lost, or the tactical missteps that led to the losses.

Operation Sindoor, triggered by the Pahalgam carnage of April 22, saw four days of high-intensity engagement between Indian and Pakistani forces across air, land, and sea. Both countries halted military action on May 10 after what the CDS has called a rational, calculated conflict that never came close to nuclear escalation.

(With inputs from PTI)