Washington, DC [United States], June 5 : While interacting with the Indian diaspora in Washington, DC, BJP MP Tejasvi Surya stressed the clear distinction between India and Pakistan, underscoring the strong support India has received from US lawmakers amid ongoing security challenges.
"No sane person, no reasonable thinking policymaker anywhere in the world will ever draw an equivalence between India and Pakistan because we are not who they are and there will not be a bigger place, a better place than the United States of America to establish this message very firmly," Surya said.
He further highlighted India's stance on peace and security, saying, "India does not seek war. We have never sought war in our civilisation's history... But that doesn't mean that we will remain passive in the face of Adharma. If there is cessation of aggression, you will have peace, but if you attack us not once, but we are ready to do 100 Operation Sindoor.."
On the delegation's interaction with US leaders, Surya said, "Today in Washington, we had in-depth meetings with senior Congressmen and Senators. The meetings have been very fruitful and encouraging. We have received full support for India and our retaliation through Operation Sindoor. Apart from the issue of terrorism, all countries are eager to engage with India on many other matters... Soon after our discussions on Operation Sindoor ended, the conversation immediately switched to trade possibilities with India... Everyone knows that there is no comparison between Pakistan and India. Pakistan is seen as a banana republic, as a failed state, as a sponsor and epicentre of terrorism. India is seen as an emerging global power and many big countries are eager to develop good relations with India. Bilawal Bhutto has been in the US for quite some time and is trying to copy the Indian delegation, and honestly, it hasn't taken off..."
The delegation led by Tharoor arrived in the US on Wednesday. It includes Shambhavi Chaudhary (Lok Janshakti Party), Sarfaraz Ahmed (Jharkhand Mukti Morcha), G M Harish Balayogi (Telugu Desam Party), Shashank Mani Tripathi, Tejaswi Surya, and Bhubaneswar Kalita (all from the BJP), Mallikarjun Devda (Shiv Sena), former Indian Ambassador to the US Taranjit Singh Sandhu, and Shiv Sena MP Milind Deora.
The all-party delegation arrived in the US after concluding their visit to Brazil. The delegation aims to brief key stakeholders in the US on Operation Sindoor, India's diplomatic initiative launched to counter terrorism and disinformation following the recent terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam.
India launched Operation Sindoor on May 7 as a decisive military response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack by Pakistan-sponsored terrorists, which claimed 26 lives and injured several others.