Opposition leaders, including Congress's Raja Warring and CPI's D Raja, have questioned the seriousness of the government's All-Party Meeting on the West Asia conflict, demanding Prime Minister Narendra Modi's personal participation in it.
Congress Questions 'Formality' of Meeting, Demands PM's Presence
Congress MP Amarinder Singh Raja Warring on Wednesday said that if the government's All-Party Meeting on the West Asia conflict is only a formality, it should not have been called. "If the All-Party Meeting has been called merely as a formality, then they might as well not have called it. However, if they are serious about an All-Party Meeting, then I believe the Prime Minister of the country should personally participate in it. If the Prime Minister does not participate, then what is the point of such a meeting? In this country, whatever decisions are taken, they are taken by the 'two friends'--Amit Shah and Modi," he said.
Referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's recent Rajya Sabha speech, Warring added, "Based on the speech PM Modi gave in the Rajya Sabha, where he said the country is ready to fight a crisis and that we must remain prepared, it feels like a serious crisis is looming over the nation. I feel a situation like the COVID-19 period might be arising again. A few days ago, when we were raising concerns about LPG cylinder shortages here, the ministers would say there is no shortage." He added, "The Petroleum Minister stood on the floor of the House and said there is no shortage, told us not to lie or spread confusion, and accused Rahul Gandhi and the Congress party of spreading misinformation. But today, such a problem exists, and the Prime Minister himself is speaking about it..."
CPI Urges India to Condemn War, Cites Vajpayee's Precedent
Communist Party of India (CPI) General Secretary D Raja also demanded that the Prime Minister convene an all-party meeting and seek the opinions of all political parties. Speaking to ANI, D Raja recalled the practice of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who would convene all-party meetings during every national crisis. He emphasised that India should condemn America and Israel for the ongoing war and demand an immediate halt, stating, "If issues exist, they should be resolved through dialogue and diplomacy at the national level."
Raja urged that if PM Modi is sincere, he should convene an all-party meeting to hear the views of political parties. "India should condemn America and Israel for this war. India should demand that they all stop the war. If there are problems, there should be dialogue and diplomacy at the national level. If PM Modi has sincerity, he should convene an all-party meeting and take the opinion of political parties in the country. Is he prepared to have a serious dialogue with political parties within the country? Mr Vajpayee used to convene all-party meetings during crises. When there was a crisis n Iraq, there was an all-party meeting, and statements came from Pakistan. Mr Vajpayee convened all-party meetings in such situations," said D Raja.
The Government of India has called for an all-party meeting on March 25 (Wednesday) at 5 PM on the West Asia crisis. (ANI)
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