Kharge, Rahul ask PM for special Parliament session to discuss Pahalgam attack

Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi have written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, asking him to convene a special session of Parliament to discuss the Pahalgam terror attack and demonstrate a collective resolve.

Several opposition MPs have made a similar demand to the government in the wake of the dastardly attack in which 26 people, mostly tourists, were killed last week, evoking anger and public outrage.

In the letter to the prime minister, Kharge said, "At this moment, when unity and solidarity is essential, the opposition believes that it is important to convene a special session of both Houses of Parliament at the earliest.

"This will be a powerful demonstration of our collective resolve and willpower to deal with the brutal terror attack in Pahalgam on innocent citizens on April 22. It is our fond hope that the session will be accordingly convened," the leader of opposition in the Rajya Sabha added.

Rahul Gandhi too wrote a letter to Modi with the same request and said the Pahalgam tragedy has outraged every Indian.

"At this critical time, India must show that we will always stand together against terrorism. The Opposition believes that a special session of both Houses of Parliament should be convened, where the representatives of the people can show their unity and determination."

"We request that such a special session be convened at the earliest," he added.

Sharing his letter to the prime minister on X, Gandhi said, "At this critical time, India must show that we always stand together against terrorism."

While the government has not made any response to the call for a special session of Parliament, sources discounted such a possibility and noted that the all-party meeting was called for the purpose of presenting a picture of national unity.

A BJP leader claimed that the opposition's demand is driven more by politics and cited the recent sharp attack on Modi by Congress leaders.

AICC general secretary Jairam Ramesh shared the letters of the leaders of opposition in both Houses and said it was a request for a special session regarding the Pahalgam terror attack.

"This is a very sensitive moment in our nation's history. We need to demonstrate unity, solidarity, cohesive will, collective resolve to deal with the situation, and what better way than having a special session of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha," he told PTI.

Ramesh said the Parliament is the supreme political body in the country and it is not new as special sessions have been held earlier.

"This is not an occasion for political debate, confrontations, people are worried, anguished, this is a traumatic event that took place in Pahalgam, it affected the entire country... An all-party meeting happened, but the PM didn't attend, he was campaigning in Bihar. We hope that the PM will agree, attend, and take Parliament into confidence. After all, this is 'Team India', the PM is the captain of the team," he also said.

The Congress president, however, had been unrelenting in his attack on PM Modi. At a party rally in Rajasthan on Monday, he lashed out at the prime minister for skipping the all-party meeting on the Pahalgam attack and accused the BJP of creating divisions in the country.

Kharge had said that in this hour of crisis, everyone wants to fight together, "but the BJP wants to spread venom and divide people".

India has cited "cross-border linkages" to the horrific incident and vowed severe punishment for those involved in the strike.

Opposition parties have also extended their support to the government in any action it takes against the perpetrators of the attack and their sympathisers.