Selective PR or Genuine Consultation? The Pahalgam Attack Meeting Controversy

Dipankar Bhattacharya criticizes the government's decision to exclude smaller parties from an all-party meeting on the Pahalgam terror attack, terming it a selective PR exercise. The meeting aims to brief leaders on the massacre, but exclusions have raised questions about the government's intent and seriousness.

Dipankar Bhattacharya, general secretary of the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) Liberation, has criticized the all-party meeting on the Pahalgam terror attack, calling it a 'selective PR exercise'. He condemned the government's exclusion of smaller parties from the discussion.

Scheduled for Thursday evening, the meeting aims to brief political leaders about the Pahalgam massacre and gather their perspectives. However, Bhattacharya highlighted that not inviting parties like the National Conference and CPI(ML) Liberation, despite their significance in Jammu and Kashmir, indicates a lack of genuine intent.

Bhattacharya further pointed out past instances, referencing 1984 when the BJP had only two MPs, arguing that excluding parties based on parliamentary strength undermines the effectiveness of collective consultation essential after such a significant security failure.

(With inputs from agencies.)