Patna (Bihar) [India], April 29 (ANI): Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) MP Manoj Jha on Tuesday reacted to the Congress's 'Gayab' post targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi and remarked that the Prime Minister's participation would have elevated the stature of the recent all-party meeting.

Speaking to ANI, Jha said, 'If PM Modi had attended the all-party meeting, the dignity of the meeting would have increased...Several things are happening across the globe in the geopolitical setup and with that India's vision is very clear and that should be conveyed under the leadership of Prime Minister from all the parties which remains missing sometimes.'

The Congress party had earlier posted an image from its official 'X' account depicting Prime Minister Modi as 'missing' (gayab), criticising his absence during key discussions.

Further responding to the Opposition's demand for a special session of Parliament in the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack, Jha underlined the need for collective national messaging. 'In history, times come for every nation when Parliament speaks a message to nations across the world, and today the time has come. It's very important for our democracy,' he stated.

Ahead of this, Congress has called for a special parliamentary session to address the April 22 terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam, which claimed 26 innocent lives.

In a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge urged 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 as the need of the hour.

'At this moment, when unity and solidarity are 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, echoing similar demands Congress MP and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi also wrote a letter to PM Modi on Monday urging the government to convene a special session of both Houses of Parliament.

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.

The request comes amid increased political focus on national security and responses to terrorism, amidst outrage and mourning following the terror attack. (ANI)