During a fiery session in Rajya Sabha on July 30, Samajwadi Party MP Jaya Bachchan questioned the government's choice to name the military response “Operation Sindoor” following the devastating Pahalgam terror attack. She remarked: “Sindoor toh ujad gaya… why name it ‘Sindoor’ when the faith and lives of so many families had already been destroyed?” 

Bachchan, visibly emotional, also accused the government of an intelligence failure that allowed terrorists to infiltrate a tourist region. She said the naming felt theatrical and misleading, and urged greater sensitivity in selecting terms tied to cultural symbols like sindoor, which represents marital identity and strength in Hindu tradition.

Her blunt language invited backlash: BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla rebutted that the name symbolized India’s resolve—to strike back when sindoor was stripped away - and accused the opposition of demoralizing the armed forces.

Opposition leaders including Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Akhilesh Yadav, and Congress’ Rahul Gandhi also raised sharp questions about security breaches before the attack, demanding accountability. Their interventions highlighted broader concerns over national narrative control and diplomatic silence.

The debate illuminated escalating political tensions over Pahalgam’s tragic aftermath and the government’s handling of both tragic symbolism and real-time intelligence failures.