New Delhi: In a fiery rebuttal during a debate on Operation Sindoor in the Lok Sabha, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) MP Supriya Sule accused Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Tejasvi Surya of insulting India’s armed forces by implying that the country’s military history had no meaningful success before recent years.
Supriya Sule, who was part of the Indian delegation to Egypt, Ethiopia, Qatar, and South Africa under Operation Sindoor — a diplomatic initiative following the Pahalgam terror attack — said, “This wasn’t just about messaging to the world, this was about honouring the legacy and sacrifices of our armed forces.”
“Read History Before Making Claims”
Referring to Tejasvi Surya’s claim that India’s military only saw real victories under the current government, Sule lashed out:
“If Mr. Surya had studied history, he would have known this. Let me gift him a history book.”
She went on to cite a list of India’s significant military operations that predate the Modi era, accusing Surya of downplaying decades of Indian military achievements:
🔥 Supriya Sule Tears Into Tejasvi Surya
NCP MP who recently went abroad to take message on Op Sindoor, says BJP MP Tejasvi Surya has insulted Army by saying this is the only success.
Belts out historical references
1948| Op Polo Hyd into Union
1961| Op Vijay. Bringing Back… pic.twitter.com/PQasi00m1u
— The New Indian (@TheNewIndian_in) July 29, 2025
- 1948 – Operation Polo: Integration of Hyderabad into the Indian Union
- 1961 – Operation Vijay: Liberation of Goa, Daman, and Diu from Portuguese rule
- 1965 – Indo-Pak War: India thwarted Pakistan’s attempts at infiltration in Kashmir
- 1971 – Bangladesh Liberation War: India’s victory led to the creation of Bangladesh, with 93,000 Pakistani soldiers surrendering, the largest military surrender since World War II.
“This is not just military history; it is national pride. Our armed forces have always delivered. Don’t insult them by cherry-picking facts,” Sule said.
“Nation First — Party and Family Later”
Sule used the opportunity to reiterate that her politics stem from national interest, not personal legacy:
“For us, it’s always ‘nation first’. Party and family come later.”
She also made a subtle dig at the political culture that prioritizes loyalty over facts:
“What I saw today was arrogance — a repeated chant of ‘mine, mine, mine’. This isn’t about one person’s ideology or ego. This is about India.”
Operation Sindoor: Diplomacy Beyond Borders
Sule’s remarks came in the context of Operation Sindoor, an outreach campaign by the Indian Parliament post-Pahalgam terror attack, where a suicide bomber targeted a tourist bus. The multi-party delegation led by MPs like Supriya Sule, Manish Tewari, and Anurag Sharma visited Egypt, Qatar, Ethiopia, and South Africa, meeting government and civil society representatives to project India’s counter-terror strategy.
“When Kanimozhi ji was there, I was there. And when Kiren Rijiju ji called us about the operation, we responded not as party members, but as Indians,” Sule said, reinforcing the bipartisan spirit of the delegation.
The Lok Sabha debate, meant to reflect India’s diplomatic strength, quickly turned into a generational and ideological clash. While Tejasvi Surya questioned the foundations of India’s military strategy, Sule defended the historical record and urged younger MPs to “read more, shout less.”
The moment has since gone viral, especially Sule’s closing remark:
“Let me gift him a history book. It might just make him a better parliamentarian.”
