All-party meeting be called but parties must attend only if PM participates: Kapil Sibal
New Delhi, May 11 (PTI): With India and Pakistan agreeing to halt military actions, Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal on Sunday demanded that an-all party meeting be called while urging political parties not to attend it until the government assures that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be present there.
Sibal also demanded a special session of Parliament and asserted that he was confident that if Manmohan Singh had been the prime minister today, he would be present in the all-party meeting, and a special session would have been called too.
Addressing a press conference here, Sibal referred to US President Donald Trump's latest social media post on stoppage of military hostilities in which the American president said that he is proud that the US was able to help arrive at this "historic and heroic decision".
"Many questions will be raised on this tweet as well. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that for the last 48 hours talks went on. So what happened, how and why, no information has been given to us regarding this.They also stated that there will be a meeting at a neutral site. Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi also spoke with NSA Ajit Dowal," Sibal said.
"We will not issue any criticism today because this is not the time for criticism. We only want a special Parliament session and an all-party meeting to be called. I want to appeal to all political parties not to attend the meeting until the government assures them that the prime minister will be present at the meeting as well," Sibal said.
"I am confident that if Dr Manmohan Singh had been the prime minister today, he would be present in the all-party meeting, and a special session would have been called too," the Independent Rajya Sabha MP said.
He said MPs can't wait till the Monsoon session for getting details on what has transpired in the last few days.
Sibal said he did not like it when Prime Minister Modi did not participate in the all-party meeting that was held after the Pahalgam terror attack.
"Maybe he (Modi) thought Bihar elections were more important. He also went to Bollywood, Kerala, he thinks that whenever such an incident takes place, no matter what happens in Manipur, it is not necessary to go there," Sibal said.
The former Congress leader hailed the armed forces for giving a befitting reply to Pakistan.
The country in one voice asserted that enough is enough and a reply should be given to Pakistan, he said.
His remarks came after India and Pakistan on Saturday reached an understanding to stop all firings and military actions on land, air and sea, with immediate effect after four days of intense cross-border drone and missile strikes.
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Elephant calf brought from Bijnor kept under care at Pilibhit Tiger Reserve
Pilibhit (PTI): A 19-day-old elephant calf, brought from Bijnor, was placed under care at the Pilibhit Tiger Reserve (PTR) on Sunday, an official said and added that the calf got separated from its mother in the forest area of Bijnor.
The calf was born on December 2 in the Bijnor forest area and got separated from its mother shortly after birth, the official said.
The forest department made several attempts to reunite it with its mother, but without any success. To ensure the calf's safety and better care, it was decided to transfer it to the Pilibhit Tiger Reserve on the instructions of senior officials.
On Saturday, Deputy Director Manish Singh received the calf. Special arrangements have been made in the reserve for its care. It has been kept in a safe and clean environment to provide it with a natural setting and protect it from external noise and disturbances.
Singh told reporters that raising an 19-day-old calf is challenging.
It requires a special diet as a substitute for mother's milk and constant monitoring.
He said a special team has been formed to provide 24-hour care. Since the calf is very young, it is being cared for like a newborn baby.
According to Singh, the primary responsibility for monitoring the calf's health has been entrusted to PTR's veterinarian, Dr Daksh Gangwar. Under his supervision, a complete record of the calf's health checkups, diet, and body temperature is being maintained. The team is ensuring that the calf does not contract any infection.
