Why did AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi skip Op Sindoor all-party delegations' meet with PM Modi?
AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi, who was a part of one of the diplomatic delegations, was notably absent from the high-profile all-party delegation meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday evening.
His absence from the event soon prompted questions, which Owaisi later clarified that he had to urgently travel to Dubai due to a medical emergency involving a close relative and childhood friend.
"I am out of the country. I had to go to Dubai due to a medical emergency. I had to go suddenly due to the ill health of my relative and childhood friend. I informed my delegation leader, Baijayant Panda, about this," ANI news agency quoted Owaisi as saying.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday met members of the all-party global delegation under Operation Sindoor global outreach on Tuesday at 7 pm at his official residence, Lok Kalyan Marg.
Delegation members briefed the Prime Minister about their meetings in different nations.
The delegations, consisting of MPs from across party lines, former MPs and distinguished diplomats, highlighted India's stand against terror and commitment to world peace during their visits to various nations.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he was proud of how the multi-party delegations presented India's views in various countries on the need to eradicate the menace of terrorism following the Pahalgam attack and Operation Sindoor.
"Met members of the various delegations who represented India in different countries and elaborated on India's commitment to peace and the need to eradicate the menace of terrorism. We are all proud of how they put forward India's voice," Modi said in a post on X.
The Indian government had sent the multi-party delegations to portray a message of national unity in the fight against terrorism, with the likes of Congress MP Shashi Tharoor and AIMIM MP Asaduddin Owaisi joining the ruling alliance members in championing the Indian cause abroad.
Prominent former parliamentarians in the delegations included ex-Union ministers Ghulam Nabi Azad and Salman Khurshid.
Four delegations were led by MPs of the ruling alliance, including two from the BJP, one from JD(U) and one from Shiv Sena, while three were led by opposition MPs, one each of the Congress, DMK and NCP(SP).
BJP's Ravi Shankar Prasad and Baijyant Panda, Congress's Shashi Tharoor, JD(U)'s Sanjay Jha, Shiv Sena's Shrikant Shinde, DMK's Kanimozhi, and NCP (SP)'s Supriya Sule led their delegations to different parts of the world.
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