New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi did not attend Thursday’s All-Party Meeting, but left a message urging all members of the Opposition to stand with the Government on the issue of tackling terror. During the meeting, chaired by defence minister Rajnath Singh, the Government briefed Opposition leaders on Op Sindoor and the goings-on thereafter. Singh informed the Opposition that 100 terrorists have been killed in the strike by Indian Armed Forces.
While the Congress supported the Armed Forces and the Government on Op Sindoor wholeheartedly, party president Mallikarjun Kharge raised the issue of Modi’s absence. The Prime Minister was also not present during the first All-Party Meeting convened after the gruesome terror strike in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, on April 22 that claimed the lives of 26 persons, most of them tourists from across the country. Modi came under attack from the Congress even then.
On Thursday, while the All-Party Meeting was being held, the Prime Minister was being briefed by National Security Advisor Ajit Doval on the latest situation. Union home secretary Govind Mohan was also present.
Sources said that the defence minister briefed the Opposition leaders about the valour of the Indian Armed Forces who carried out high-precision strikes on nine carefully selected targets – all of them terror establishments – inside Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK).
Among the other leaders present from the Government’s side were home minister Amit Shah, external affairs minister S Jaishankar, J P Nadda, Kiren Rijiju and Nirmala Sitharaman. The Opposition leaders present included Rahul Gandhi, Kharge, Sandip Bandyopadhyay of the Trinamool Congress, T R Baalu of the DMK, Ram Gopal Yadav of the Samajwadi Party, Sanjay Singh of AAP, Sanjay Raut of Shiv Sena (UBT), NCP (SP)’s Supriya Sule, AIMIM MP Asaduddin Owaisi and the BJD’s Sasmit Patra.
Unlike after the 2019 Balakot airstrikes, no questions were asked by the Opposition leaders, who were all praise for the armed forces for destroying camps of the Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) and Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT). The Congress Working Committee, which met on Wednesday, also sent out a message of unity and declared unconditional support to the Government.
During the meeting, the Government is also known to have asked all state governments to take steps against those circulating fake propaganda and messages against the armed forces of the country. On Wednesday, a few fake posts were circulated regarding the downing of five Indian fighter jets during Op Sindoor.
