Former Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan on Wednesday refused to apologise for his controversial remarks on Operation Sindoor adding that he has the right to question the government. He further demanded an inquiry into the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22 and specifics of Indian strikes on Pakistan after that.

The senior Congress leader had sparked a row on Tuesday after he raised questions over Operation Sindoor stating that India was “completely defeated” on the first day of the targeted strikes. Emphasising that he has the right to question the government, Chavan said, “I have the right to ask questions, why should I apologise?"

The Congress leader said that his statements were deliberately taken out of context to divert the people’s attention from the nuclear privatisation bill (SHANTI Bill) in Parliament that was tabled in Lok Sabha on Monday.

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Prithviraj Chavan’s Remarks On Operation Sindoor

In his remarks, Chavan also claimed that Indian aircraft were shot down by Pakistan during the strikes. "On the first day (of Operation Sindoor) we were completely defeated. In the half-hour aerial engagement that took place on the 7th, we were fully defeated, whether people accept it or not. Indian aircraft were shot down. The Air Force was completely grounded, and not a single aircraft flew. If any aircraft had taken off from Gwalior, Bathinda, or Sirsa, there was a high probability of being shot down by Pakistan, which is why the Air Force was fully grounded,” Chavan said addressing a press conference in Pune.

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He further downplayed the need for a huge army strength, adding that soldiers could be utilised better by engaging them in different works (apart from wars).

"Recently, we saw during Operation Sindoor, there was not even a one-kilometre movement of the military... Whatever happened over two or three days was only an aerial war and missile warfare. In the future too, wars will be fought in the same way. In such a situation, do we really need to maintain an army of 12 lakh soldiers, or can we make them do some other work?" Chavan said.