NEW DELHI: Stepping up its diplomatic offensive on Operation Sindoor , govt has decided to send five all-party delegations of MPs to different parts of the world starting next week to highlight Pakistan-sponsored terrorism. Each team will have eight members.
MPs belonging to BJP, Congress, TMC, DMK, NCP (SP), JDU, BJD, Shiv Sena (UBT), CPM and some other parties will be part of the delegations which are meant to signal national unity.
Sources said some former ministers would lead the delegations scheduled to visit various countries over a period period of 10 days. MEA will brief the MPs before they depart.
Though all parties appeared to be on board, Congress sources were angry that govt had reached out to its MPs and others directly instead of approaching the leadership first. Sources said while party members would join the delegations in “supreme national interest”, it was for the leadership to decide who from its ranks would go. They particularly appeared to be unhappy about the likelihood of Shashi Tharoor being the choice to head one of the delegations, possibly the one to the US. “He, being chairman of the standing committee on external affairs, should have been the logical choice, but his remarks have lately been out of line with the party’s stand,” said a source.
Congress sources also indicated that they would push for the inclusion of deputy leader in Lok Sabha Gaurav Gogoi in one of the teams.
Govt expressed surprise at Congress’s response. “Members of delegations are supposed to pursue national interest and not work as representatives of political parties. They are going there as Indians,” a source said. “The practice has always been that govt chooses the members. So far nobody has objected,” he added.
A leader of a party that has been sounded out for the exercise said they were asked to be ready to leave by May 22-23 for a period of 10 days and that MEA would be in touch with them to provide details, including the itinerary.
Former Union ministers Ravi Shankar Prasad, Rajiv Pratap Rudy, Anurag Thakur, Aparajita Sarangi, Samik Bhattacharya and Brij Lal are among the BJP members to be part of the teams, sources said.
At least four MPs from Congress, besides members of other parties, have been tapped by govt for the exercise. They include Tharoor, Manish Tewari, Salman Khurshid and Amar Singh. However, Congress sources said at least three leaders told govt that it should contact their party leadership for the names.
TMC’s Sudip Bandyopadhyay, JDU’s Sanjay Jha, BJD’s Sasmit Patra, CPM’s John Brittas, UBT’s Priyanka Chaturvedi, NCP (SP)’s Supriya Sule, DMK’s K Kanimozhi, AIMIM’s Asaduddin Owaisi and AAP’s Vikramjit Sawhney are also being tapped to be part of the delegations, sources said.
While Khurshid, a former external affairs minister, has been asked to lead a delegation of seven MPs to south and south-east Asia, covering countries such as South Korea, Japan and Singapore, Baramati MP Sule is likely to lead a team to West Asia and Africa, including the likes of Oman, Egypt, Kenya and South Africa, sources said.
Tewari is likely to lead a delegation to Europe or West Asia and has been asked about his availability while Tharoor could lead a team to the US, they said, adding that former Union minister Ghulam Nabi Azad was likely to be part of one delegation.
While there was no official word from govt on the delegations, Congress’s Jairam Ramesh said Union minister Kiren Rijiju had spoken to party president Mallikarjun Kharge.
MPs belonging to BJP, Congress, TMC, DMK, NCP (SP), JDU, BJD, Shiv Sena (UBT), CPM and some other parties will be part of the delegations which are meant to signal national unity.
Sources said some former ministers would lead the delegations scheduled to visit various countries over a period period of 10 days. MEA will brief the MPs before they depart.
Though all parties appeared to be on board, Congress sources were angry that govt had reached out to its MPs and others directly instead of approaching the leadership first. Sources said while party members would join the delegations in “supreme national interest”, it was for the leadership to decide who from its ranks would go. They particularly appeared to be unhappy about the likelihood of Shashi Tharoor being the choice to head one of the delegations, possibly the one to the US. “He, being chairman of the standing committee on external affairs, should have been the logical choice, but his remarks have lately been out of line with the party’s stand,” said a source.
Congress sources also indicated that they would push for the inclusion of deputy leader in Lok Sabha Gaurav Gogoi in one of the teams.
Govt expressed surprise at Congress’s response. “Members of delegations are supposed to pursue national interest and not work as representatives of political parties. They are going there as Indians,” a source said. “The practice has always been that govt chooses the members. So far nobody has objected,” he added.
A leader of a party that has been sounded out for the exercise said they were asked to be ready to leave by May 22-23 for a period of 10 days and that MEA would be in touch with them to provide details, including the itinerary.
Former Union ministers Ravi Shankar Prasad, Rajiv Pratap Rudy, Anurag Thakur, Aparajita Sarangi, Samik Bhattacharya and Brij Lal are among the BJP members to be part of the teams, sources said.
At least four MPs from Congress, besides members of other parties, have been tapped by govt for the exercise. They include Tharoor, Manish Tewari, Salman Khurshid and Amar Singh. However, Congress sources said at least three leaders told govt that it should contact their party leadership for the names.
TMC’s Sudip Bandyopadhyay, JDU’s Sanjay Jha, BJD’s Sasmit Patra, CPM’s John Brittas, UBT’s Priyanka Chaturvedi, NCP (SP)’s Supriya Sule, DMK’s K Kanimozhi, AIMIM’s Asaduddin Owaisi and AAP’s Vikramjit Sawhney are also being tapped to be part of the delegations, sources said.
While Khurshid, a former external affairs minister, has been asked to lead a delegation of seven MPs to south and south-east Asia, covering countries such as South Korea, Japan and Singapore, Baramati MP Sule is likely to lead a team to West Asia and Africa, including the likes of Oman, Egypt, Kenya and South Africa, sources said.
Tewari is likely to lead a delegation to Europe or West Asia and has been asked about his availability while Tharoor could lead a team to the US, they said, adding that former Union minister Ghulam Nabi Azad was likely to be part of one delegation.
While there was no official word from govt on the delegations, Congress’s Jairam Ramesh said Union minister Kiren Rijiju had spoken to party president Mallikarjun Kharge.
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