Govt calls All Party meet today, Rahul to skip

NEW DELHI, Mar 24:
 The Central Government has convened an all-party meeting on the West Asia crisis at 5 pm on Wednesday, sources said.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is likely to chair the meeting, with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar expected to be present, they said.
Meanwhile, Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi told reporters at the Parliament House Complex that he would not be able to attend the all-party meeting as he is scheduled to attend a programme in Kerala.
The call for an all-party meeting comes after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s address in Parliament on the West Asia situation.
In his statement in the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday, Modi said the Government has constituted seven empowered groups to evolve strategies on fuel, supply chains and fertilisers, among others, and stem the impact of the Iran-Israel-US conflict.
Stating that the war has created a serious energy crisis globally, Modi warned people against taking advantage of the situation and asked the state governments to check black marketing and hoarding.
The Government is trying to procure gas and crude oil from all available sources, he said, asserting that efforts will continue in the coming days.
He noted that necessary preparations have been made to ensure an adequate supply of fertilisers.
Meanwhile, the Congress has hit out at the Prime Minister, saying that his statement on the crisis was a “prepared text full of self-praise” for all that he claims to have accomplished in the last 11 years. (PTI)