The Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress has withdrawn the name of party Leader Yusuf Pathan from the Centre’s list of the All-Party delegation on Operation Sindoor, according to the news agency ANI. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said that if asked to send the name of a party leader, TMC will decide on the name.
When Banerjee was asked if TMC has opted out of the Centre’s multi-party diplomatic mission aimed at countering Pakistan-sponsored terrorism, she stated that the party is in support of the Central government’s views and actions.
The CM said, “…No request came to us. If a request came to us, then we could consider it. We are in favour of the country. In the external affairs issue, we have always supported the policy of the Centre. At present, we are supporting the Central Govt’s views and actions. They cannot decide the member’s name on their own. It is not their choice, it is the choice of the party. If they request me to send someone, we will decide on the name and tell them. It is not that we are boycotting or that we are not going.”
The All-Party delegation, which consists of seven groups led by one Member of Parliament (MP) each, has been announced to carry forth to the world India’s message of zero tolerance against terrorism. In the context of Operation Sindoor and India’s continued fight against cross-border terrorism, seven All-Party Delegations are set to visit key partner countries, including members of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), later this month.
The MPs that have been chosen to lead the delegations are- Shashi Tharoor of INC, Baijayant Panda, and Ravi Shankar Prasad of BJP, JD(U)’s Sanjay Kumar Jha, Kanimozhi Karunanidhi of DMK, Supriya Sule of NCP, and Shrikant Eknath Shinde from Shiv Sena.
According to the list of delegations, cricketer-turned-politician Yusuf Pathan is supposed to be a part of the Sanjay Kumar Jha-led delegation and put across India’s stand on zero tolerance against terrorism in Indonesia, Malaysia, the Republic of Korea, Japan, and Singapore.
The delegations are to visit more than 30 countries as part of India’s global push against terrorism, and TMC is the first party to reportedly opt out of the delegations.
