Rajnath Singh chairs all-party meeting on Pahalgam attack; PM absent
New Delhi, Apr 25: Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, after attending the all party meeting on Pahalgam attack informed the media that Defence Minister Rajnath Singh chaired the meeting in the absence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The meeting also saw the presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
Speaking after the meeting, Kharge said, “Today’s meeting was chaired by Rajnath Singh. Amit Shah was also present. We all collectively condemned the Pahalgam terror incident.” However, his remarks also hinted at a sense of dissatisfaction regarding the Prime Minister’s non-participation.
Earlier in the day, the Congress party had clearly demanded that Prime Minister Modi himself should chair the crucial meeting, given the gravity of the situation and the national concern it has generated. The Congress had urged the government to ensure that the Prime Minister lead the deliberations, emphasising the need for collective political resolve and unity in the face of terrorism.
Despite the ongoing security concerns, Prime Minister Modi was in Bihar on Thursday, where he participated in the National Panchayati Raj Day programme held in Madhubani. He also addressed the event during the visit.
Taking to social media platform X (formerly Twitter), Congress General Secretary (Communications) Jairam Ramesh said, “Considering the extreme seriousness of the issue and the mood of the nation, the Indian National Congress expects the PM to chair the All-Party meeting scheduled for 6PM today and take all political parties into confidence and build a collective resolve.”
The government had informed earlier that the meeting would be chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, with Home Minister Amit Shah also in attendance. However, the absence of the Prime Minister from the key discussion has drawn criticism, particularly from the Opposition.
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TN polls: TVK pushes DMK behind with leads in 83 seats, AIADMK ahead in 54
Chennai (PTI): New entrant TVK, led by actor-politician Vijay, was leading in as many as 83 constituencies on Monday when counting of votes polled in the April 23 Assembly polls was on across Tamil Nadu. The AIADMK was leading in 58 seats while the ruling DMK was ahead in 34, EC data showed.
About two hours after the postal ballots were counted and EVMs opened for multi-round counting, Vijay's Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam surged ahead of its Dravidian rivals-- the DMK and the AIADMK, with the ruling party struggling to catch up.
If the trends maintain, Vijay could as well ensure the biggest electoral upset, something in lines with the "1967,1977" wins he had referred to in his campaign speeches.
While the Dravidian stalwart CN Annadurai brought the first non-Congress government in Tamil Nadu post-independence in 1967, the charismatic MG Ramachandran (MGR) installed the maiden AIADMK government 10 years later, unseating then DMK government under M Karunanidhi. TVK was leading in most Chennai segments, all considered DMK strongholds and currently represented by the party in the 234-member House.
A poor show by DMK could belie most exit polls giving an edge to it, riding on the number of populist measures Chief Minister M K Stalin had implemented in his five year "Dravidian model," inclusive governance.
According to EC and TV reports, 15 cabinet ministers, including Stalin were trailing. His son and deputy CM Udhayanidhi was also behind in his incumbent Chepauk-Tirvuvallikeni seat, according to a number of reports.
Stalin was trailing behind TVK's VS Babu by 1234 votes in Kolathur segment. Vijay was ahead in Tiruchirappalli East by over 3,000 votes at the end of two rounds of counting, according to EC data.
BJP is trailing in 26 constituencies and it is ahead in Thali segment alone. TVK is ahead in constituencies including Ponneri, Tiruvallur, Poonamalle, and Avadi.
AIADMK is leading in segments including Katpadi, and Guidyattam and party chief Edappadi K Palaniswami is ahead in Edappadi segment by 7003 votes.
DMK was leading in segments including Vellore, Anaikattu and Rishivandiyam.
