New Delhi [India], May 19 : Congress MP Shashi Tharoor leads one of seven delegations to several countries to showcase India's zero-tolerance stance against terrorism. The delegation will visit Guyana, Panama, Colombia, Brazil, and the United States.
Tharoor's delegation is scheduled to depart on May 24, after the Foreign Secretary briefs them on Operation Sindoor.
The delegation's visit to the US is planned after the Memorial Day weekend, ensuring optimal engagement with Congress.
Speaking to the mediapersons, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Monday said, "The briefing for my delegation is going to be only on Friday. So, honestly, I am not going to say anything right now. Some of the teams are leaving earlier, so they need to have their meeting tomorrow. However, our delegation is leaving a bit later because the US has a big Memorial Day weekend, and Congress in the US is not in session until June 2. So, there is no point in arriving there too early. So, we are arriving later and leaving later...24th May, I believe (when his delegation will leave)...We are going first to Georgetown (Guyana), Panama, Colombia, Brazil and then finally to the US..."
He further added, "Today, we have a briefing by the Foreign Secretary about Operation Sindoor..."
Earlier, Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh expressed strong objection to the central government choosing only one party MP out its four nominations for the all party-delegations formed to mobilise global support on Operation Sindoor.
"Rahul Gandhi wrote a letter and before 12 noon on the 16th May, we sent 4 names from our party for the all-party MPs delegation- Anand Sharma, Gaurav Gogoi, Nasir Hussain and Raja Brar. The government had mischievous intentions from the beginning, they added 4 more names which were not in our list... We know that Operation Sindoor is being politicised... But the Congress party believes that national interest is paramount... They have included only one name from our list, 4 more are our MPs, they are not representatives of the party, but they should listen to their conscience and not politicise it," Jairam Ramesh said.
The Congress has recommended Anand Sharma, Gaurav Gogoi, Nasir Hussain and Raja Brar to be part of the delegation. However BJP-led central government chose only Anand Sharma from the recommended list and took the liberty to select other Congress members including Shashi Tharoor, Manish Tewari, Amar Singh and Salman Khurshid for the delegations.
Meanwhile, Tharoor stated that he will diligently fulfill his assigned responsibilities, emphasising that while the party leadership is entitled to its opinions, his commitment remains steadfast.
"My party leadership is entitled to its opinion of my abilities or lack thereof, and I think that is really for them to explain. I have absolutely no comment to make on that. I am honoured to have been entrusted with the responsibility, and I will fulfil that responsibility just as I have fulfilled every responsibility entrusted to me in my rather long working life, whether at the United Nations or in the Congress Party...We have a Parliamentary Standing Committee meeting on Monday and Tuesday on various issues, including this particular issue. Certainly, I informed them (the party) of the first call I got, which was two days ago. I also mentioned to the parliamentary affairs minister that I assumed that he would be talking to the party leaderships of opposition parties, and he assured me that he would be. I found it entirely appropriate, as I said, that the country should rally together on this particularly important issue...," he said.
Tharoor expressed his commitment to the cause, and emphasised that the mission transcends party politics and reflects national unity.
"As a citizen, being called upon to serve the nation at a time of crisis is a matter of duty for all of us. It is an honour that I've been asked to lead the delegation, and I look forward to playing my part. I had no hesitation in accepting the kind invitation of the government," he said."To my mind, this has nothing to do with party politics. It's all to do with what our country has been through in recent times and the need for us to present a united front...It is a good reflection of national unity at a time when unity is important," he added.
The all-party delegations will project India's national consensus and resolute approach to combating terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. They will convey to the world the country's strong message of zero tolerance for terrorism.
The list includes MPs from multiple parties, divided into seven groups of 8 to 9 members. A leader has been assigned for each group, who will lead the delegation at a global level.
The Members of Parliament include Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad, JDU leader Sanjay Kumar Jha, BJP leader Baijayant Panda, DMK leader Kanimozhi Karunanidhi, NCP (SP) leader Supriya Sule, and Shiv Sena leader Shrikant Eknath Shinde.
Seven all-party delegations, each led by a prominent leader from various political parties, will visit different countries to highlight India's zero-tolerance policy towards terrorism.
Delegation 1, led by BJP MP Baijayant Panda, will visit Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Algeria.
Delegation 2, led by BJP MP Ravi Shankar Prasad, will visit the UK, France, Germany, EU, Italy, and Denmark.
Delegation 3, led by JDU MP Sanjay Kumar Jha, will visit Indonesia, Malaysia, Republic of Korea, Japan, and Singapore.
Delegation 4, led by Shiv Sena MP Shrikant Eknath Shinde, will visit the UAE, Liberia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Sierra Leone.
Delegation 5, led by Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, will visit the USA, Panama, Guyana, Brazil, and Colombia.
Delegation 6, led by DMK MP Kanimozhi Karunanidhi, will visit Spain, Greece, Slovenia, Latvia, and Russia.
Delegation 7, led by NCP (SCP) MP Supriya Sule, will visit Egypt, Qatar, Ethiopia, and South Africa.