AAP peeved over no invite to all-party meeting on Bangladesh despite being national party
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NEW DELHI: The AAP complained on Tuesday that it was not invited to the all-party meeting called by the BJP-led NDA government over the turmoil in neighbouring Bangladesh despite it being a national party with 13 MPs.
The neighbouring country has plunged into uncertainty after extraordinary street protests over job quota forcing Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to quit and flee on Monday. She has arrived in India on her way to London, diplomatic sources said.
"The issue of national security does not depend on who the prime minister is happy or angry with. Not inviting the Aam Aadmi Party, a national party with 13 MPs, to this important all-party meeting shows the petty mentality and lack of seriousness of the government," AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh said in a post in Hindi on X.
Later, talking to PTI Videos, Singh said External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar informed the Upper House about the situation in the neighbouring country.
"We have to support the government in such circumstances. This is an issue related to national security. We did not raise any queries and the entire opposition listened to his statement. But the sad thing is will politics overshadow the issue of national security?
"Today, when the all party meeting happened, a representative of AAP, which is a national party with 10 Rajya Sabha MPs and three Lok Sabha MPs, was not called. It cannot be an issue of PM's like or dislike in terms of national security. We have kept this issue in front of the BJP leaders and we would like to know why we were not invited to the crucial meeting on Bangladesh issue," he added.
Echoing similar views, Delhi minister Saurabh Bharadwaj said it was "wrong" that their party was not invited to the crucial meeting.
"It is sad. If the prime minister does not like a party then that party is not called to the all party meeting. This is wrong," he added.
Jaishankar on Tuesday told an all-party meeting that India has assured help to former Bangladesh prime minister Sheikh Hasina, who arrived here on Monday evening, and given her time to decide the future course of action, the sources said.
Briefing political party leaders in Parliament House, Jaishankar said India has spoken to the Bangladesh army chief to ensure the safety of over 10,000 Indian students in that country, the sources said.