Centre finalises 51 names for 7 anti-terror outreach teams, picks only one sent by Cong
Centre, however, chooses Cong leaders Shashi Tharoor, Manish Tewari, Amar Singh, and Salman Khurshid for delegation comprising 20 members from non-NDA parties
The Centre has finalised the names of 51 political leaders, parliamentarians, and former ministers cutting across party lines, who will be part of the seven delegations travelling to world capitals to put across India's resolve to tackle terrorism against the backdrop of Operation Sindoor.
Delegations to visit 32 nations
The delegations led by Baijayant Panda, Ravi Shankar Prasad (both BJP), Sanjay Kumar Jha (JDU), Shrikant Shinde (Shiv Sena), Shashi Tharoor (Congress), Kanimozhi (DMK) and Supriya Sule (NCP-SP) will visit a total of 32 countries and the EU headquarters in Brussels, Belgium.
Each delegation comprises seven or eight political leaders and is assisted by former diplomats.
Also read: BJP picks Shashi Tharoor for global mission: Is Congress in chaos?
Of the 51 political leaders, 31 are part of the ruling NDA, while the remaining 20 are from the non-NDA parties.
All seven delegations have at least one Muslim representation, either among politicians or diplomats.
Congress upset
However, only one name suggested by the Congress – Anand Sharma – made it to the list of delegates, inviting criticism from the Opposition party which called the decision “cheap political games” by the Centre.
The remaining three, Gaurav Gogoi, Syed Naseer Hussain, and Amrinder Singh Raja Warring, did not figure.
Besides Tharoor, Congress leaders Manish Tewari, Amar Singh and Salman Khurshid are part of the delegations.
With only one of the four leaders being accommodated, Congress general secretary in-charge of communications Jairam Ramesh, in a statement, said it proves the complete insincerity of the Narendra Modi government and shows the "cheap political games" it plays on serious national issues.
The opposition party, however, said the four eminent Congress MPs/leaders who were included at the Modi government's insistence will, of course, go with the delegations and make their contributions.
Who gets what?
"One mission. One message. One Bharat. Seven All-Party Delegations will soon engage key nations under #OperationSindoor, reflecting our collective resolve against terrorism," Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said in a post on X.
The delegations include former Union Ministers Ghulam Nabi Azad, M J Akbar, Anand Sharma, V Muraleedharan, Khurshid, and S S Ahluwalia, who are not members of Parliament at present.
Also read: Congress' harakiri over Centre picking Tharoor for delegations abroad
The delegation led by Panda, comprising Nishikant Dubey, Phangnon Konyak, Rekha Sharma (all BJP), Asaduddin Owaisi (AIMIM), Satnam Sandhu (nominated), former minister Ghulam Nabi Azad and former foreign secretary Harsh Shringla, will travel to Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain and Algeria.
The delegation led by Prasad, comprising Daggubatti Purandeswari (BJP), Priyanka Chaturvedi (SS-UBT), Ghulam Nabi Khatana (nominated), Amar Singh (Congress), Samik Bhattacharya (BJP), former Union minister M J Akbar and former diplomat Pankaj Saran, will travel to the United Kingdom, France, Germany, the EU, Italy and Denmark.
JD(U) leader Jha will lead the delegation comprising Aparajita Sarangi (BJP), Yusuf Pathan (Trinamool), Brij Lal (BJP), John Brittas (CPI-M), Pradan Barua (BJP), Hemang Joshi (BJP), former minister Khurshid and former diplomat Mohan Kumar to Indonesia, Malaysia, South Korea, Japan and Singapore.
Shinde, a three-term Shiv Sena MP, will lead the group comprising Bansuri Swaraj (BJP), E T Mohammed Basheer (IUML), Atul Garg (BJP), Sasmit Patra (BJD), Manan Kumar Mishra (BJP), former minister S S Ahluwalia and former diplomat Sujan Chinoy. This group will travel to the UAE, Liberia, Congo and Sierra Leone.
Tharoor to lead US-bound delegation
The delegation led by Tharoor comprises Shambhavi (LJP-RV), Sarfaraz Ahmed (JMM), G M Harish Balayogi (TDP), Shashank Mani Tripathi (BJP), Bhubaneshwar Kalita (BJP), Milind Deora (Shiv Sena), Tejasvi Surya (BJP) and former diplomat Taranjit Sandhu. It will travel to the US, Panama, Guyana, Colombia and Brazil.
The delegation led by Kanimozhi, comprising Rajeev Rai (SP), Mian Altaf Ahmad (NC), Brijesh Chowta (BJP), Prem Chand Gupta (RJD), Ashok Kumar Mittal (AAP) and former diplomats Manjeev Puri and Jawed Ashraf will travel to Spain, Greece, Slovenia, Latvia and Russia.
Also read: Growing rift? Tharoor not on the list Congress gave for delegation abroad
Sule will lead the group comprising Rajeev Pratap Rudy (BJP), Vikramjit Sahney (AAP), Manish Tewari (Congress), Anurag Thakur (BJP), Lavu SriKrishna Devarayalu (TDP), former ministers Muraleedharan and Anand Sharma, and former diplomat Syed Akbaruddin to Egypt, Qatar, Ethiopia and South Africa.
(With inputs from agencies)