New Delhi: AIMIM MP from Hyderabad Asaduddin Owaisi has hit out at the Centre for keeping parties with smaller number of MPs out of the all-party meeting on Pahalgam terror attack, which left 28 dead. The invites to the parties for the meeting, to be held on Thursday, were selective, Owaisi alleged.
Owaisi mentioned about the conversation with Union Minister for parliamentary affairs Kiren Rijiju on the all-party meeting. Taking to X, Owaisi wrote: “Regarding the Pahalgam All Party Meeting, I spoke to @KirenRijiju last night. He said they’re thinking of inviting only parties with “5 or 10 MPs.” When I asked why not parties with fewer MPs, he said that the meeting would get “too long.” When I asked “What about us, the smaller parties?” He joked that my voice is anyway too loud.”
In a veiled attack, the Hyderabad MP posted further: “This is not a BJP’s or another party’s internal meeting, it is an all party meeting to send a strong and united message against terrorism & those countries that harbour terrorists. Can’t @narendramodi spend an extra hour to hear the concerns of all parties?”
Regarding the Pahalgam All Party Meeting, I spoke to @KirenRijiju last night. He said they’re thinking of inviting only parties with “5 or 10 MPs.” When I asked why not parties with fewer MPs, he said that the meeting would get “too long.” When I asked “What about us, the smaller…
— Asaduddin Owaisi (@asadowaisi) April 24, 2025
He added: “Your own party does not have a majority. Whether it is a party with 1 MP or a 100, they were both elected by Indians and deserve to be heard on such an important matter. This is not a political issue, it is a national issue. Everyone must be heard. I urge @narendramodi to make this a real ALL Party Meeting, every party with an MP in Parliament must be invited.”
Centre to brief leaders
The Centre will brief leaders of various political parties on the Pahalgam terror attack and gather their views during an all-party meeting.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Home Minister Amit Shah are expected to brief the leaders, according to sources. It will be chaired by Singh.
The government has announced a raft of measures targeting Pakistan in the wake of the Pahalgam attack. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar is also likely to speak at the meeting.
It has been customary to call an all-party meeting after incidents with serious national security implications, as was seen after the Pulwama terror attack in 2019 and the India-China standoff in 2020.
