The Leaders of Opposition from both Houses of Parliament Tuesday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking a special session of Parliament to discuss the Pahalgam terror attack. This comes a day after similar requests by the RJD and CPI. In his letter to Modi, Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi said: “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.” The Congress leader wrote: “The terrorist attack in Pahalgam has outraged every Indian. At this critical time, India must show that we will always stand together against terrorism… We request that such a special session be convened at the earliest.” In his letter, Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge said that the session would “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”. “At this moment, when unity and solidarity is essential, Opposition believes that it is important to convene a special session of both houses of Parliament at the earliest… It is our fond hope that the session will be accordingly convened,” said the Congress chief. Opposition parties RJD and CPI had on Monday asked the government to call the special session to discuss the attack and “its broader implications”. RJD Rajya Sabha member Manoj Kumar Jha, in a letter, called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi to take elected representatives into confidence for a transparent dialogue so as to send a “powerful message” of resilience. Besides the attack, the session should discuss its “broader implications for the security, well-being, and aspirations of the people of India”, Jha wrote. CPI MP P Sandosh Kumar, meanwhile, wrote to Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju. The letters come days after PM Modi promised retribution for the attack, saying “India will identify, track and punish every terrorist and their backers” and would “pursue them to the ends of the earth”. At an all-party meeting chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday, several Opposition leaders — Kharge, Gandhi, TMC’s Sudip Bandyopadhyay and AAP’s Sanjay Singh — had questioned the government, saying that the attack pointed to “lapses” in security and intelligence.
