 "A kitemaker displays kites featuring Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and 'Operation Sindoor', India's military operation against Pakistan, in Amritsar. AFP")
Starting May 23, the Narendra Modi administration will dispatch a total of 59 members, including MPs across party lines, former ministers and politicians as seven separate delegations to travel to key regions across the globe tasked with taking India’s voice to the world on the issue of Operation Sindoor.
Following Operation Sindoor , Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Cabinet had come up with the proposal of sending all-party parliamentary delegations across the world to take India’s message on terrorism. And on Saturday (May 17), Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju announced the seven delegations and the countries they would be visiting in order to convey India’s message of zero tolerance against terrorism following Operation Sindoor.
In his announcement, Rijiju said, “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. The government has made a careful selection of leaders who will head the delegations as they come from parties across the political divide and are considered articulate voices.”
But who’s been chosen for this task? What exactly will be their purpose?
Shashi Tharoor
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor has been selected by the Modi administration as one of the 59 members as part of its global outreach programme. Tharoor and his fellow members will travel to the United States, Panama, Guyana, Brazil, Colombia.
However, the addition of Tharoor’s name to the list has created a controversy with the Congress accusing the government of playing politics with a “mischievous” mindset. This comes after the party excluded the Thiruvananthapuram MP from their list and had nominated Anand Sharma, Gaurav Gogoi, Syed Naseer Hussain and Amarinder Singh Raja Brar.
However, Tharoor has accepted the Centre’s invite to lead the multi-party delegation abroad, saying, “I see no politics in it”.
He further said that everyone saw the 88-hour-long battle with Pakistan and therefore, “we all need to have a role in what the world is saying about us”.
Since India launched Operation Sindoor on May 7, Tharoor has emerged as a vocal supporter of the Modi government’s actions. He outrightly rejected claims of Trump mediating between India and Pakistan when asked about it by veteran journalist Karan Thapar.
He is quoted as saying that mediation would have been if S Jaishankar called Americans and said listen: we want to get this done with. “Would you convey this to Pakistanis, please… A, B, C. That, I don’t think India would have done. I would be astonished if India had done that,” Tharoor, a former Minister of State for External Affairs, said.
At this point, Thapar asks Tharoor how, as a member of the opposition Congress, he would know what Jaishankar said or did? “Your own party leaders Malikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi are questioning US mediation claims. How can you be so certain there wasn’t?”
“I am giving you my best-educated guess. That is from my long experience of how these things are conducted, if I know how Indian foreign policy conducts itself. Jaishankar, as you know, was a career diplomat before becoming a political foreign minister; this is the way he is trained to function. I am prepared to be proven wrong,” Tharoor stated.
Joining Tharoor in the delegation would be Milind Deora of the Shinde-led Shiv Sena as well as BJP’s Tejasvi Surya . Moreover, former Ambassador of India to the US Taranjit Singh Sandhu is also part of the group.
Ravi Shankar Prasad
BJP’s Ravi Shankar Prasad has also been chosen as one of the MPs to be part of the global outreach on Operation Sindoor. Many note that Prasad has proven his credentials as he has served as the law minister in Modi’s previous governments. Prasad will be leading his delegation of seven members to UK, France, Germany, EU, Italy, and Denmark.
Notably, Prasad’s team includes BJP’s D Purandeswari, Shiv Sena (UBT)’s Priyanka Chaturvedi and former Minister of State (MoS) MJ Akbar. Retired Indian diplomat Ambassador Pankaj Saran, who has served as the country’s deputy national security adviser, will also be a part of Prasad’s group.
Supriya Sule
Nationalist Congress Party’s Supriya Sule has also been picked as one of the many to travel abroad to convey India’s stance on terrorism post-Operation Sindoor. Her team will cover Oman, Kenya, South Africa, and Egypt, countries with historical diplomatic weight and significant Indian expat populations.
Reacting to the news, the Baramati MP wrote on X, “I am honoured to join the all-party delegation representing India on the global stage. I humbly accept this responsibility and thank Hon’ble Prime Minister Narendra Modi ( @narendramodi ) ji, Minister Kiren Rijiju ji ( @KirenRijiju ), and the Ministry of External Affairs ( @MEAIndia).”
Sule’s team includes BJP’s Anurag Thakur, Congress’ Manish Tewari and Anand Sharma, and TDP’s Lavu Devarayalu. Former permanent representative of India to the United Nations Syed Akbaruddin is also part of Sule’s delegation.
According to a News18 report, this group will leave for Doha on May 24.
Kanimozhi
Dravida Munnetra Kazagham’s (DMK) Kanimozhi is the only MP from southern India to lead a delegation. Her team, which comprises SP’s Rajeev Rai, BJP’s Captain Brijesh Chowta and former Ambassador of India to France, Jawed Ashraf, will travel to Spain, Greece, Slovenia, Latvia, Russia.
Speaking on her selection, Kanimozhi said that it was an honour to represent India and lead one of the delegations. She said that her party, DMK, has always stood for national integrity. “I am honoured to represent India and lead one of the delegations at this important time. The DMK has always stood for the integrity of the nation and the values enshrined in our Constitution.”
Shrikant Eknath Shinde
Son of former Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, MP Shrikant Shinde will lead a team of members to the United Arab Emirates, Liberia, Democratic Republic of Congo and Sierra Leone. Notably, Shrikant is the youngest among those leading delegations.
Accompanying the 38-year-old is BJP’s Bansuri Swaraj, daughter of former External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, and Atul Garg along with former Ambassador Sujan Chinoy, who is also the Director General of the Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses.
Sanjay Kumar Jha
An opposition leader from the Janata Dal-United, Jha has been chosen to lead a delegation to Indonesia, Malaysia, Republic of Korea, Japan, Singapore. They will leave for Japan on May 21.
Speaking on the delegations travelling to different parts of the world, Jha said, “The Government of India is sending delegation to different countries to put forth our point of view. Everyone knows that it is not non-actors, it is a state actor when it comes to terrorism from Pakistan. The government of Pakistan is directly involved in the promotion, funding and support of terrorism.”
Jha also lauded the Centre’s decision to involve leaders from all political backgrounds, emphasising the show of national unity.
“PM Modi decided to send a delegation to explain India’s point of view for ‘Operation Sindoor’. When something like this strikes, our nation comes together, all the political parties come together. MPs from all parties are being sent. Our armed forces targeted terror base, camps and killed many terrorists,” he noted.
Baijayant “Jay” Panda
A BJP MP, Panda has been chosen to lead a delegation to Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Algeria. This delegation, which will be covering Muslim nations will have a key task on their hands to build a narrative against Pakistan. Panda said after India’s befitting reply through Operation Sindoor, this outreach programme is aimed at countering the Pakistani propaganda against India.
“We taught a costly lesson to Pakistan with Operation Sindoor. The way they have been supporting terrorism and their training happens there,” Panda said. He said that Pakistan conducted the attacks and India gave a befitting reply.
“But the propaganda they (Pakistan) have been doing since Independence, an answer should be given to that as well,” Panda was quoted as telling news agency PTI.
“There is a unity in India, be it ruling parties or the Opposition parties. We are united in the national interest and have spoken in one voice. We will hold discussions with the media and intellectuals in those countries as well,” he said.
Panda said Pakistan is able to shelter terrorists because the international community is not paying attention to this.
“This outreach is necessary… We also need to answer to the narratives that they create… Leaders from all the parties going together in delegations will give a strong message,” he said.
Asaduddin Owaisi
The All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief and Hyderabad MP will be part of the Panda-led delegation to Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Algeria.
Speaking on the job, “We are going to represent our country,” Owaisi said, adding that the delegation will speak about the cost of terrorism. “Our daughters are becoming widows, our children are becoming orphans, and Pakistan wants to destabilise our country,” he said.
Following the Pahalgam terror attack and the subsequent Operation Sindoor, Owaisi has been articulate in his criticism of Pakistan and terrorism emanating from its soil. He has called Pakistan a “failed nation” and said acts of terror were against Islam. “Remember, if you enter a country and kill innocents, no country will stay silent, no matter who is in power. The way you attacked our country, the way people were asked their religion and shot, what religion are you talking about? You are worse than Khawarij (an Islamic sect considered deviant). You are ISIS sympathisers,” he said.
Despite being trolled by many across the border, Owaisi remains unfazed. He has been quoted as saying, “I am Pakistan’s dulhe bhai, no one else but me. They cannot spot anyone so outspoken, so handsome. They can see only me from India. Keep watching me and listening to me, it will enhance your knowledge. The hay in your brain will be cleaned and your ignorance will end,” the Hyderabad MP said with a smile.
Yusuf Pathan
The former cricketer-turned politician, Yusuf Pathan, was also selected by the Centre for the outreach programme as part of the group headed to Indonesia, Malaysia, Republic of Korea, Japan, Singapore.
However, the Trinamool Congress has said that it won’t be sending Pathan or any other MP as part of the delegations. “How can the Union government decide on the representative of Trinamool? They should have held discussions with the opposition to decide which representative a party will send,” said Abhishek Banerjee, the TMC national general secretary and MP, while speaking to the media at the Kolkata airport on Monday.
A senior MP told the Indian Express, “We believe that the nation is above all and we pledged our support to the Union government to take whatever action was needed to protect our great country. Our Armed Forces have made our nation proud and we are forever indebted to them. Foreign policy is entirely within the domain of the Union government. Therefore, let only the Union government decide our foreign policy and take complete responsibility for it.”
With inputs from agencies