Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi write to PM Modi to convene special Parliament session

New Delhi: The Congress party has urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to convene a special session of Parliament in the wake of the deadly terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam, which claimed the lives of 26 people on April 22. In separate letters addressed to the Prime Minister, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi pressed for a special sitting of both Houses to collectively respond to the grave incident.

In his letter, Kharge emphasised that such a session would allow Parliament to project a united front against terrorism and demonstrate the nation's firm resolve to confront the threat. He added that the Opposition strongly believes unity is the need of the hour. "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 will to deal with the brutal terror attack in Pahalgam on innocent citizens on 22 April 2025. It is our fond hope that the session will be accordingly convened," the letter read.

Meanwhile, Rahul Gandhi, in his letter, urged the Prime Minister to convene a special session of both Houses of Parliament at the earliest. The senior Congress leader emphasised that at this critical moment, India must demonstrate that the nation stands united against terrorism. "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 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 read.

As many as 26 people, mostly tourists, were killed and more than a dozen others injured in the Pahalgam terror attack which occurred on April 22. This has been one of the biggest terror attacks after the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019. The government, however, has yet to officially confirm the number of casualties in the terror attack in Pahalgam. Following the terror attack, security forces launched search operations to track down the terrorists responsible. Security has been heightened since the attack, with visuals from the area showing the streets deserted in the usually bustling tourist area.