Owaisi Criticizes Centre for Excluding Smaller Parties from Pahalgam All-Party Meeting
In a social media post on Thursday, Owaisi urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to ensure that every political party with representation in Parliament, regardless of size, is included in such a critical national discussion.
Hyderabad: AIMIM President and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi has raised objections over the Centre’s decision to invite only select political parties to the all-party meeting called to discuss the recent Pahalgam terror attack, which left 26 people dead.
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In a social media post on Thursday, Owaisi urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to ensure that every political party with representation in Parliament, regardless of size, is included in such a critical national discussion.
“This is a National Issue, Not a Political One”: Owaisi
Owaisi revealed that he had spoken to Union Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Kiren Rijiju on Wednesday night and was told that the government was considering inviting only parties with “five or ten MPs.” When Owaisi questioned the exclusion of smaller parties, he said Rijiju responded that the meeting could become “too long” and allegedly joked that the AIMIM leader’s “voice is anyway, too loud.”
Calling the remarks dismissive, Owaisi said,
“Whether it is a party with 1 MP or 100, both were elected by the people of India and deserve to be heard on this important matter. This is not just a political issue—it’s a national issue.”
“Make It a True All-Party Meeting”
Reiterating his demand, Owaisi appealed to PM Modi to make it a real all-party meeting:
“I urge Narendra Modi to make this a real ALL Party Meeting. Every party with an MP in Parliament must be invited.”
He also questioned the Prime Minister’s unwillingness to spend “an extra hour” to listen to the views and concerns of all parties, stressing that national unity against terrorism requires inclusive dialogue.
Defence and Home Ministers to Brief Political Leaders
According to official sources, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will chair the all-party meeting on Thursday evening, with Home Minister Amit Shah expected to provide updates on the terror attack. The meeting is aimed at briefing political leaders and collecting their inputs on the national response.
Owaisi stressed that this meeting should serve as a united front against terrorism and the nations that support such acts—not be treated as an internal event of the BJP or any single party.
The Pahalgam attack on Tuesday afternoon, which occurred in south Kashmir’s Baisaran Valley, claimed 26 lives, mostly tourists, and has drawn nationwide condemnation.
