New Delhi [India], May 19 : Delhi Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa on Monday attacked the Congress over the party's remarks regarding the selection of the members of all-party delegations visiting key partner countries to showcase India's continued fight against terrorism and said that there shouldn't be politics on this issue.
"This is a sad thing. On this issue, the entire country should have been together. This is not the issue of one political party. Our country and armed forces are fighting against the atmosphere created by terrorists. There shouldn't be politics on this," Sirsa told reporters in the national capital.
With the government opting for one of the four names suggested by Congress for inclusion in the all-party delegations, Jairam Ramesh had last week said that this proves the "complete insincerity of the Modi government and shows cheap political games it always plays on serious national issues".
He had also said that the four Congress MPs and leaders included at the instance of the Modi government will to with the delegations and make their contributions. "The INC will never stoop to the pathetic level of BJP," he said.
The four names given by Congress did not include former union minister Shashi Tharoor, who will head one of delegations.
Earlier today, Jairam Ramesh criticised the government for omitting three of the names recommended by the party for the all-party delegation.
"This delegation is going for damage control. We have been saying that we need to stay united, and we are standing with our armed forces like a rock. We have said that Operation Sindoor is a historic operation, but PM Modi does not speak with the LoP or the Congress President. They ask us to give names. When we gave 4 names, they picked only one of them and added names on their own. What type of politics is this?" he asked.
The all-party delegations will project India's national consensus and resolute approach to combating terrorism in all forms and manifestations. They would carry forth to the world the country's strong message of zero tolerance against terrorism.
According to Congress, the party had submitted four names to the Minister of Parliamentary Affairs by May 16, but the final list released late on May 17 included only one of the suggested names.
The list includes MPs from different parties, divided into seven groups of 8-9 members. A leader has been assigned for each group, who will lead the delegation at a global level.
This came after India's decisive military response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack. Operation Sindoor, launched on May 7, targeted terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir, leading to the death of over 100 terrorists
Answering another query, Sirsa said Pollution Control Board has issued an order that mist sprinklers will be used on the identified hotspots to control the pollution.
"We have issued the direction, the concerned authorities of the area must take necessary action accordingly," the Delhi Minister said.