From 'Yeh Sindoor Ki Rani…' to 'Results Matter': Top 10 quotes from Rajnath Singh's Operation Sindoor speech in parliament

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday addressed the Lok Sabha as he opened the debate on Operation Sindoor, India’s swift counteroffensive against Pakistan.

He described the mission as a symbol of bravery, strategic precision, and restraint, shutting down allegations that India acted under any external pressure.

Here are the top quotes from his parliament speech:

• The important quote: "No important military asset of ours was damaged."
• In a poetic tribute to the spirit of the armed forces, Singh began with a line that set the tone of the discussion: “Yeh sindoor ki rani, shaurya ki kahani hai, Bharat ke mastak par veerta ki nishani hai.” (“This sindoor is a story of courage, a symbol of bravery on India’s forehead.”)
• “The entire operation was concluded within 22 minutes,” Singh said, highlighting the surgical efficiency of the strike that targeted terror infrastructure across the border.
• He dismissed claims that the mission was halted under global pressure, stating: “India paused its action because the pre-decided political and military objectives were achieved… Saying that this operation was paused under any pressure is baseless and absolutely wrong.”
• “In my political life, I have always tried not to speak lies ever.”
• “We had many options, but we chose the one that caused maximum damage to terrorist camps while avoiding harm to innocent civilians in Pakistan.”
• Singh applauded India's advanced air defence systems for thwarting Pakistani retaliation: “S-400, Akash missile system, air defence guns, these proved to be very useful and completely foiled this attack by Pakistan.”
• Responding to the Opposition's criticism, Singh recalled the BJP’s own conduct during previous conflicts: “In 1992, when we (BJP) were in Opposition, we did not ask the then government how many tanks and machines we lost; same was the case during the war of '71.”
• He urged everyone to focus on the bravery of soldiers rather than war statistics: “Machino aur topo ki chinta na karein, apne sainikon ki kariye.” (Don’t worry about machines and guns, honour our soldiers instead.)
• Singh ended with a pointed remark aimed at critics: “Results matter in any exam.”
• Rajnath Singh said, "India wants friendly relations with Pakistan and other countries, successive governments have made efforts in this regard."
• "If we know how to make efforts for peace, we also know how to speak and explain in the language that the vicious understand," he added.
• "We have learnt from Lord Krishna that in the end, one needs to pick the Sudarshan Chakra to protect 'Dharma'. We saw the 2006 Parliament attack, 2008 Mumbai attacks- and now we have said enough is enough, and picked the Sudarshan Chakra..."
• Rajnath singh said "War should be taken up against those who are on the same level as us... Goswami Tulsidas says that love and enmity should be on the same level... If a lion kills a frog, it does not give a very good message. Our armed forces are lions..."