NEW DELHI: Union home minister Amit Shah on Wednesday defended the naming of “Operation Mahadev,” rejecting opposition criticism that the name is “religiously motivated.” Shah’s remarks came a day after senior Congress leader and former Maharashtra chief minister Prithviraj Chavan accused the BJP of using religion to name military operations. Chavan alleged the ruling party “knows nothing except naming military operations on the basis of religion” and accused it of attempting to “polarise the situation into a Hindu versus Muslim conflict.”Also Read | ‘Hindu names’ of military operations: Ex-Maharashtra CM Chavan slams BJP; accuses party of ‘mixing Hindutva in everything’Taking a swipe at the Congress-led opposition, which had walked out of the Rajya Sabha before his speech, Shah said, “Congress party isn’t here right now.” He continued, “Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj fought the battle of independence against the Mughals. His army’s war cry was ‘Har Har Mahadev.’” Shah argued that the phrase is not merely religious, but a symbol of resistance and bravery. To further make his point, the Union home minister cited the traditional war cries of Indian Army regiments: “Prabhu Ram Chandra Ki Jai,” “Jo Bole So Nihal,” “Jat Balwan, Jai Bhagwan,” and “Kali Mata Ki Jai.” He asked if the Congress considered these slogans unacceptable as well.Under Operation Mahadev, security forces neutralised the terrorists responsible for the April 22 attack in Pahalgam. India’s retaliatory military strikes in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir were named “Operation Sindoor.”