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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Karnataka unit of Congress posts Mahatma Gandhi quote emphasising peace, deletes
Bengaluru (PTI): The Karnataka unit of Congress on Wednesday posted a Mahatma Gandhi's quote emphasising peace on its social media handle and deleted it later.
"The most powerful weapon of mankind is peace - Mahatma Gandhi," the Congress posted on its handle in social media 'X'.
They posted it hours after India carried out air strike at nine locations inside Pakistan and Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (POK) as part of its 'Operatioon Sindoor' to avenge the killing of 26 tourists in a terrorist attack at Pahalgam in Jammu and Kashmir.
The party later lauded the Indian Air Force in another post.
"The Indian Air Force (IAF), widely recognised as one of the world's strongest air forces gave a befitting reply to the cowardly #PahalgamTerroristAttack. We stand with the govt, we stand with our security forces. #OperationSindoor," Congress said.
Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister and Congress state president D K Shivakumar called India's response to Pahalgam "befitting".
"#OperationSindoor is a befitting reply to the cowardly Pahalgam terror attack. We stand with the govt, we stand with our security forces. Jai Hind," Shivakumar said in a post on 'X'.
The BJP state chief B Y Vijayendra too hailed India's action.
"In a clinical and precise operation, the Indian Army has begun avenging the targeted killings of Hindus in Pahalgam. Jai Hind!" Vijayendra said on 'X'.
