New Delhi [India], June 10 : After Prime Minister Narendra Modi hosted members of seven all-party delegations who went to several countries under Operation Sindoor outreach on Tuesday at his residence, the members praised PM Modi for listening to their experiences carefully and having an "informal" meeting with them.
Speaking to the media after meeting PM Modi, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor asserted the Prime Minister chatted with them in a very "informal way".
"He was very pleasant to all of us. I think he saw this as an opportunity to thank delegations for their service. He spent more than an hour with all of us. He walked around the lawn on different tables. We all chatted with him in a very informal way. It was not a formal meeting at all," Tharoor said.
"We all shared lots of things with him, and I am sure that in the fullness of time, some of these will be apparent. But one general proposition I have noticed is that in every country, people came back saying that it was a very good idea. Countries appreciated having Members of Parliament coming and visiting them. We all suggested that we should make a practice of this more often, sending MPs to engage with legislators in other countries. The Prime Minister certainly seem to take that idea onboard," the Congress MP said,
Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi said that PM Modi listened carefully the experience of members. "We shared our experience with the PM, which he listened to carefully," she said.
Congress MP and multi-party MP delegation member Manish Tewari emphasised that it was an informal and freewheeling conversation with the Prime Minister.
"It was an informal interaction, and the members of various delegations shared their impressions with the Prime Minister, who heard everybody out. He conveyed his own impressions. On the whole, it was an informal and freewheeling conversation. Most importantly, everybody was able to share the inputs they had collected across various nations. It was a holistic and comprehensive conversation," Tewari told ANI.
Further, Manish Tewari asserted that this initiative (of sending all-party delegation) would definitely help in proscribing all those states which use terrorism as an instrument of state policy.
"Certain seeds have been planted by the various delegations which went across the world. Now, it is for the foreign office to build on this initiative and to take it to the next level to proscribe Pakistan, which is a state sponsor of terror on the global stage. On the whole, the visits laid the foundation for forming an international coalition against state sponsorship of terror...This is an initiative, if taken to a logical conclusion, would definitely help in proscribing all those states which use terrorism as an instrument of state policy," the Congress MP said.
AAP MP Vikramjeet Singh Sahney said that PM Modi met each Member of Parliament and took their feedback.
"We gave the message of zero tolerance towards terrorism. The PM assured all the MPs that such engagements would continue and friendship forums would be formed. He also said that think tanks from various nations will be called to India for dialogue with them," Sahney said.
After meeting with PM Modi, Samajwadi Party MP Rajeev Rai said," It was a very casual interaction with the PM. I had prepared a report, which I presented to him. He appreciated it. Every country we visited condemned the incident (Pahalgam terror attack) and promised to support India in the fight against terrorism."
BJP MP Gulam Ali Khatana, member of the multi-party delegation, said that Prime Minister Modi appreciated the members for putting forward India's stand before various countries.
"The PM listened to all of us, including the Opposition MPs, carefully and appreciated that we put forward India's stand before various countries," Khatana said.
AIMIM Chief and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi, who was also a part of the delegation, did not attend the all-party delegation meeting with PM Modi this evening.
In a phone conversation with ANI, Owaisi said, "I am out of the country. I had to go to Dubai due to a medical emergency. I had to go suddenly due to the ill health of my relative and childhood friend. I had informed my delegation leader, Baijayant Panda, about this."
The delegations, consisting of MPs from across party lines, former MPs and distinguished diplomats, highlighted India's stand against terror and commitment to world peace during their visits to various nations.
Seven groups of all party delegations, including Opposition MPs such as Supriya Sule of NCP-SCP, Shashi Tharoor of Congress party, AIMIM chief Asaddudin Owaisi, and former ambassadors, completed their diplomatic efforts to visit various world capitals and promote India's policy of zero tolerance against terrorism.
The delegation was launched post Operation Sindoor, India's response to the Pahalgam attack in Jammu and Kashmir, in which 26 tourists were killed.
Over 50 people, including members of Parliament from multiple political parties, former ambassadors, and former government officials, visited over 30 countries as part of India's diplomatic outreach post Operation Sindoor.
Seven MPs led their respective groups, with Group 1 being led by the BJP's Baijayant Panda, which went to Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Algeria.
Group 2, led by BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad, visited the UK, France, Germany, the EU, Italy, and Denmark.
JD(U) leader Sanjay Kumar Jha led Group 3, which visited Indonesia, Malaysia, the Republic of Korea, Japan, and Singapore.
Group 4, led by Shrikant Eknath Shinde of the Shiv Sena, visited UAW, Liberia, Congo, and Sierra Leone.
Group 5, led by Shashi Tharoor of the Congress party, visited the US, Panama, Guyana, Brazil, and Colombia.
Group 6, led by DMK's Kanimozhi Karunanidhi, went to Spain, Greece, Slovenia, Latvia, and Russia.
Group 7, led by NCP-SCP's Supriya Sule, went to Egypt, Qatar, Ethiopia, and South Africa.
Operation Sindoor was launched on May 7 in response to the April 22 terrorist attack in Pahalgam.
The Indian Armed Forces carried out targeted strikes against terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir, resulting in the deaths of over 100 terrorists linked to groups such as Jaish-e-Mohammed, Lashkar-e-Taiba, and Hizbul Mujahideen.