Owaisi expresses displeasure at not being included in the all-party meeting. He appealed to PM Modi to invite all party leaders, regardless of the number of their MPs.
New Delhi: Following the Pulwama terror attack, the central government convened an all-party meeting on April 24, inviting leaders from all major political parties to share information about the attack and gather input from all sides. The meeting was chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, with Home Minister Amit Shah also in attendance. However, the exclusion of AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi from this meeting has sparked controversy.
Owaisi's displeasure: 'Can't the Prime Minister spare an hour?'
Owaisi, the MP from Hyderabad, stated that he was not invited to this crucial all-party meeting, which addressed a matter of national security. Expressing his displeasure, he said, "This is not a BJP meeting or a meeting of a single party; it's a meeting of all political parties in the country."
He questioned, "Can't Prime Minister Modi spare just an hour to listen to all parties? After all, whether a party has one MP or a hundred, they are elected by the people."
Phone conversation with Kiren Rijiju
Owaisi mentioned that he spoke to Union Minister Kiren Rijiju about this issue over the phone. Rijiju informed him that only parties with at least 5 to 10 MPs were being invited to the meeting. Owaisi expressed his displeasure, questioning why parties with fewer MPs were being ignored.
According to Owaisi, when he asked, "What about us?", Rijiju jokingly replied, "Your voice is loud enough anyway."
Owaisi's request to the Prime Minister
Owaisi, highlighting this as a national security issue separate from politics, appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to make this meeting a truly all-party meeting and invite all parties. He said, "This isn't politics; it's a question of India's security. Every party has the right to speak in this."
Purpose of the all-party meeting
Whenever a major terrorist attack or security crisis occurs in the country, the government brings all parties together for discussion. The aim is to demonstrate national unity and to take the opinions of all political parties into account. Similar meetings were held previously on issues such as the Pulwama attack (2019) and the India-China standoff (2020).
