‘Not party’s remark’: Omar Abdullah defends ally Cong over ex-Maha CM’s Op Sindoor comment; calls it Chavan’s ‘personal opinion’ | India News – The Times of India

NEW DELHI: Jammu and Kashmir chief minister and National Conference (NC) leader Omar Abdullah on Thursday came to the defence of ally Congress over controversial remarks on Operation Sindoor made by former Maharashtra chief minister Prithviraj Chavan, saying it would be “wrong” to attribute an individual’s statement to an entire party.Also Read | ‘We were fully defeated on day 1’: Congress’s Prithviraj Chavan refuses to apologise for Operation Sindoor remark; BJP hits backHis comments come days after he distanced the INDIA bloc parties from the Congress-led “vote chori” campaign, despite the party being the largest constituent of the national opposition alliance.“One individual made a statement. To attribute it to the entire party would be wrong. Neither the party leadership nor Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi or Mallikarjun Kharge said this,” Abdullah told reporters, referring to senior Congress leaders.“Therefore, if one individual makes such a remark, it should be seen as a personal opinion. After Operation Sindoor, the Congress not only stood with the Government of India but also with the army, and it should continue to do so,” the National Conference vice president added.India carried out Operation Sindoor on May 7 in retaliation for the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack. The Indian armed forces struck terror infrastructure at nine locations in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, triggering intense cross-border clashes between the two neighbours. The fighting was halted on May 10 following a request from Islamabad.Pakistan has repeatedly claimed—without providing evidence—that it shot down multiple Indian fighter jets on May 7. US President Donald Trump, who has often taken credit for halting the brief conflict, has also claimed that fighter aircraft were downed, without specifying which side suffered losses or whether the figure was cumulative.In this context, Chavan recently remarked that India was “defeated” on the first day of the operation and that Indian jets were shot down.“On the first day, we were completely defeated. In the half-hour aerial engagement 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,” he stated.When pressed on the criticism, Chavan remained defiant: “Why should I apologise? That is out of the question. The Constitution gives me the right to ask questions.”Omar Abdullah on Congress’ ‘vote chori’ campaignOmar Abdullah addressed the issue on December 15, a day after the Congress held its “Vote Chor, Gaddi Chod” rally at Delhi’s iconic Ramlila Maidan.“The INDIA bloc has nothing to do with it. Every political party is free to set its own agenda. The Congress has chosen ‘vote chori’ and SIR (Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls) as its main issues. Who are we to tell them otherwise?” he remarked.Also Read | ‘Vote chori is Congress issue’: Abdullah’s distances INDIA bloc from Rahul’s choir against ECFormer Congress president Rahul Gandhi, now Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, has spearheaded the “vote chori” campaign against the Election Commission and the BJP—allegations both have denied. Since August, Gandhi has held three press conferences accusing the poll body and the ruling party of electoral malpractice.Despite making “vote chori” and SIR central to its campaign, the Congress and its allies suffered a heavy defeat in Bihar. The BJP-led NDA retained power with a landslide mandate in the state.(With ANI inputs)