Former Maharashtra Chief Minister and senior Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan on Tuesday made controversial remarks against Operation Sindoor, claiming that India was defeated on the first day of clash against Pakistan and Indian aircrafts were shot down during the four-day clash.
‘Indian Air Force was completely grounded’
While addressing a press conference in Pune, the former chief minister claimed that the Indian Air Force was “completely grounded”, amid the probability of aircraft being shot down by Pakistan.
The Congress leader said, “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.”
Pune: Former Maharashtra CM and senior Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan says, "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… pic.twitter.com/3JRROmLoJh
— ANI (@ANI) December 16, 2025
‘Wars will be fought in the air’
The former CM questioned the need to maintain large military forces, stating that wars will be fought in the air.
‘Whatever happened was only an aerial war’
“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 they do some other work?” he said.
India rejects claims on jets shot down
The claims regarding Indian fighter jets being shot down during Operation Sindoor made rounds after a Defence Attache’s statement. However, India has refuted reports regarding a presentation made by the Defence Attache at a seminar in Indonesia, saying that the remarks were “taken out of context” and are “misrepresenting the intention and thrust” of the presentation.
Operation Sindoor was launched on May 7 as a response to the Pahalgam terror attack, in which 26 people lost their lives. Pakistan retaliated, leading to a conflict from May 7 to 10. During the Operation, Indian claimed to have killed over 100 terrorists in just 23 minutes using Rafale jets, SCALP missiles, and HAMMER bombs.
