I.N.D.I.A. bloc to seek special Parliament session on Pahalgam attack

New Delhi: Leaders of I.N.D.I.A. bloc will meet in Delhi on Tuesday noon to formulate a strategy to push the Modi government to announce a Special Session of Parliament to discuss Pahalgam terror attack, Operation Sindoor and subsequent developments, including US President Donald Trump’s claims mediating between India and Pakistan on ceasefire.

The meeting comes as the Opposition bloc wants to send a united message to the government over their demand even as individually most of them have written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi demanding a Special Session. The leaders have raised questions over multi-party delegations briefing foreign countries while the government appears reluctant to call a Parliament session.

Leaders from prominent parties are set to attend the meet to chalk out a plan to amplify their demand. Sources said the Opposition bloc has been working on collecting signatures of all its MPs for letters to the Prime Minister and a final call on sending it to the Prime Minister is likely to be taken.

However, the attendance of NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) is unlikely as its chief Sharad Pawar had already expressed his reservations over holding a Special Session of Parliament saying it is a “sensitive and serious issue” and discussing it in Parliament is “not possible”. Pawar had preferred an all-party meeting on post Operation Sindoor developments.

However, other parties point out that Modi has not attended both the all-party meetings held on April 24 and May 8, despite demands from the Opposition.

The Opposition is likely to emphasise that they have supported the government’s efforts to engage with the international community but have not briefed the Parliament and kept the people of India and their elected representatives in the dark.

The Opposition has been raising questions over the security lapses that led to the April 22 terror strike, Trump claiming that he used ‘trade’ to enforce a ceasefire and Chief of Defence Gen Anil Chauhan’s remarks about loss of fighter aircraft. It has alleged politicisation and communalisation of the terror strike and subsequent Operation Sindoor.

While leaders like Leaders of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge (Rajya Sabha) and Rahul Gandhi (Lok Sabha) and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has written to Modi or raised the demand otherwise, senior RJD MP Manoj K Jha on Monday shot off another letter demanding a special session saying the government owes the nation a detailed briefing followed by a discussion on operational objectives, strategic outcomes and future doctrine and Parliament exists “precisely for such national importance matters”.

He said the agenda could be about the “interference of foreign governments in our sovereign foreign policy affairs”, “implications of such conflicts”, the “challenges of reforming the domestic media and information ecosystem, which not only undermined the brave efforts of India's defence forces but also fanned social division and unrest” and “cynical, opportunistic and wholly distasteful use of our defence forces in the political and election campaigns”.

Besides Congress and Trinamool Congress, parties like RJD, DMK, Samajwadi Party, CPI(M), CPI and CPI(ML)L among others have also demanded a Special Session.

Sources said a letter was prepared and circulated among a group of Opposition MPs seeking their signatures reiterating their “collective and urgent request” to convene a Special Session.