All Party Meet LIVE: The central government today, March 25, convened an all-party meeting on the crisis in West Asia.
Defense Minister Rajnath Singh is presiding over the meeting which started at 5 pm at Parliament House.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar, Petroleum Minister Hardeep Puri and Foreign Minister Vikram Misri, news agency ANI reported.
Leaders from other parties including Sasmita Patra (BJD), Lallan Singh (JDU), Mukul Wasnik and Tariq Anwar, Dharmendra Yadav of SP and John Brittas of CPIM also arrived, the agency said.
The meeting comes amid escalating tensions in West Asia that have disrupted critical maritime corridors and raised concerns about the safety of Indian citizens in the Gulf countries.
The all-party meeting follows Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s address to Parliament on the situation in West Asia. In his statement in the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday, Prime Minister Modi said the government has set up seven mandated groups to develop strategies for fuels, supply chains and fertilizers, among others, to mitigate the impact of the Iran-Israel-US conflict.
Oppn is looking for a debate
Opposition Rajya Sabha leader Mallikarjun Kharge said that instead of the meeting, a debate on the crisis in West Asia should have been held during the ongoing budget session of Parliament.
Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday said he will not be able to attend the all-party meeting as he is scheduled for a program in Kerala. But Gandhi canceled his visit to Kerala due to concerns about the health of his mother Sonia Gandhi. Sonia is undergoing treatment at a hospital in Delhi.
Follow live updates of the All Party meeting here
