New Delhi, March 25 (IANS) Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, will not be attending the public meeting scheduled to be held in Kerala on Wednesday.

Congress National President Mallikarjun Kharge will address the rally in Kerala instead of Gandhi.

A rally has been organised in Kozhikode by Congress, marking the start of what is expected to be an intense and wide-ranging outreach across key locations in the state.

Kerala will go to the polls on April 9 to elect 140 legislators.

Earlier on Tuesday, Gandhi had said he would not attend the all-party meeting scheduled for Wednesday evening, citing the programme in Kerala. However, he welcomed the initiative for broader consultation.

"It's good that an all-party meeting has been called -- there should be discussion. But you have made a structural mistake. You have destroyed the entire framework. Now you cannot fix it; it will take a long time to set it right," he said.

The LoP had also attacked the government, alleging that India's foreign policy has become "compromised" and driven by personal considerations rather than national interest.

Meanwhile, Home Minister Amit Shah will chair the all-party meeting on Wednesday evening to brief political leaders on the evolving crisis in West Asia, amid rising concerns over its economic and security implications for India.

Five to six ministers, including External Affairs Minister (EAM) S. Jaishankar, will attend the meeting on behalf of the government.

Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri will provide a briefing on the latest situation in West Asia during the meeting.

The meeting is scheduled for 5 p.m. inside the Parliament complex.

The initiative follows statements made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in both Houses of Parliament, where he described the situation as an "unprecedented crisis" with potentially long-lasting consequences.

The conflict in West Asia has now entered its fourth week, disrupting key maritime trade routes, particularly through the Strait of Hormuz. The tensions have contributed to volatility in global energy markets and raised concerns over supply chains and inflation, prompting the government to step up consultations with political stakeholders.

--IANS

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