All-party meet: 'We are with the govt,' says Congress, but...

The Congress party on Thursday, 8 May, extended its unequivocal support to the Centre on Operation Sindoor, but urged the government to still convene a special session of Parliament so a "good message can go out" to the rest of the world, as party president and Rajya Sabha LoP Mallikarjun Kharge put it.

An all-party meeting was called in Delhi to brief the various political parties on Operation Sindoor.

Defence minister Rajnath Singh, who chaired the meeting, informed the leaders that over 100 terrorists had been killed in retaliatory operations. He reiterated the government’s resolve to eliminate terrorism and safeguard national security.

Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi said after the meeting: “We have extended our full support to the government."

Later, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge — who is leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha — said : “We have given full support to the government in this hour of crisis. All parties expressed solidarity with the armed forces. In the meeting, Rahul Gandhi-ji urged the government to convene a special session of Parliament so that a strong message of national unity is conveyed to the world and the country is reassured.”

हम चाहते थे कि इस सर्वदलीय बैठक में प्रधानमंत्री जी भी आएं और संक्षिप्त में अपनी बात रखें कि किस तरह भारत ने आतंकवाद के खिलाफ एक्शन लिया और हमारे जवानों ने हिम्मत दिखाई।

हम हमारे जवानों को सलाम करते हैं और उनका अभिनंदन करते हैं।

हम चाहते थे कि प्रधानमंत्री खुद आकर सारी बातें… pic.twitter.com/mon0B32o3f

— Mallikarjun Kharge (@kharge) May 8, 2025

This was the second all-party meeting convened by the Centre within two weeks, highlighting the seriousness of the security situation in Jammu and Kashmir and the government’s effort to forge political consensus in its response to Pakistan sponsored terrorism.

Notably, prime minister Narendra Modi was not present in either of the two meetings.

Kharge did note the PM's absence, saying, "He was not present at the earlier meeting either. It's okay, he thinks he is above Parliament. We will ask him sometime..."

However, he also added, "But this is a time of crisis, we don't want to criticise anyone."