'My voice too loud?' Owaisi slams govt for all-party terror briefing snub

Owaisi calls out Centre for excluding smaller political parties from all-party meet on Pahalgam attack, says every elected MP deserves a voice on national security

All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) MP from Hyderabad, Asaduddin Owaisi, on Thursday took to social media platform X to slam the Union government for what he described as ‘selective invitations’ to an all-party meeting convened after the terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir.

 

The meeting, scheduled for April 24, comes in the aftermath of the April 22 attack that killed 26 civilians—mostly tourists—and left many others injured in the Baisaran valley, just five kilometres from the Pahalgam market in South Kashmir’s Anantnag district.

 

Owaisi revealed that during a conversation with Union Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Kiren Rijiju, he was informed that only parties with at least five to ten Members of Parliament (MPs) would be invited to the meeting.

 

“I spoke to Kiren Rijiju last night. He said they’re thinking of inviting only parties with ‘5 or 10 MPs.’ When I asked why not parties with fewer MPs, he said that the meeting would get ‘too long’,” Owaisi posted on X.

 

The Hyderabad MP expressed disappointment over the exclusion of smaller parties, stating that Rijiju “jokingly” brushed off his concern by saying Owaisi’s voice was “anyway too loud”. 

  Condemning the central government’s move, Owaisi called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi to adopt a more inclusive approach in addressing issues of national security. “This is not a BJP’s or another party’s internal meeting, it is an all-party meeting to send a strong and united message against terrorism & those countries that harbour terrorists. Can’t PM Narendra Modi spend an extra hour to hear the concerns of all parties?” he asked.

 

He further emphasised that every elected MP, regardless of party size, has the right to be heard in such critical matters. “Your own party does not have a majority. Whether it is a party with 1 MP or 100, they were both elected by Indians and deserve to be heard on such an important matter. This is not a political issue, it is a national issue. Everyone must be heard,” he said.

 

Appealing directly to the Prime Minister, Owaisi added, “I urge Narendra Modi to make this a real all party meeting. Every party with an MP in Parliament must be invited.” 

 

All-party meeting on Pahalgam terror attack 

The Union government is set to convene an all-party meeting to address the Pahalgam terror attack, one of the deadliest assaults on civilians in the region in recent years. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is expected to chair the meeting.

 

Home Minister Amit Shah and Defence Minister Singh have already been engaging with leaders from various parties. Meanwhile, Singh held a high-level review meeting with National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, the Chief of Defence Staff Gen Anil Chauhan, service chiefs, and other top security officials to assess the situation in Jammu and Kashmir, news agency PTI reported.

 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi also chaired a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security on Wednesday evening, signalling the gravity of the situation.

 

[With agency inputs]