NEW DELHI — Congress MP and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday urging the government to convene a special session of both Houses of Parliament in wake of the April 22 terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam.
In his letter, Gandhi said the attack had outraged every Indian and stressed the need for a unified response.
“The terrorist attack in Pahalgam has outraged every Indian. At this critical time, India must show that we will always stand together against terrorism,” the letter reads.
He further stated that the Opposition believes a special session should be held to allow representatives of the people to express their unity and resolve.
“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,” the letter added.
Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge also wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, expressing the party’s call for the government to convene a special session of both Houses of Parliament in response to the attack.
In his letter, Kharge stated that the proposed session would be a platform to express a joint stance on the attack and would demonstrate a collective resolve to address the situation.
The Congress President also noted that the opposition’s beliefs in unity and solidarity are the need of the hour.
The request comes amid increased political focus on national security and responses to terrorism, amidst outrage and mourning following the terror attack on April 22.
Earlier on Monday, the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly held a special session condemning the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam.
During the session, a resolution was adopted to express strong disapproval of the attack and to extend solidarity to the victims and their families.
Jammu and Kashmir Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary moved the resolution condemning the Pahalgam terror attack at the start of the session, following opening remarks from speaker Abdul Rahim Rather.
The resolution endorsed the diplomatic measures announced by the Union Government after the Cabinet Committee on Security meeting.
The resolution was adopted without any division, following which the assembly session was adjourned sine die.
The attack in Pahalgam is one of the deadliest attacks in the Valley since the 2019 Pulwama strike, in which 40 CRPF jawans were killed. Following the Pahalgam terror attack, India has taken strong measures against Pakistan for its support of cross-border terrorism.
