The new measure is being observed as India’s stance against terrorism and Pakistan, through all means, be it through military or diplomatic relations.
Union Parliamentary Affairs minister Kiren Rijiju shared the full list of delegates on Saturday, May 17, on X (formerly Twitter), describing it as India’s “collective resolve against terrorism”.”One mission. One message. One Bharat. Seven All-Party Delegations will soon engage key nations under Operation Sindoor, reflecting our collective resolve against terrorism,” Rijiju said.
Details of delegation and leadership
The seven groups, each led by a senior parliamentarian, include leaders from both ruling and Opposition parties.
Group 1, led by BJP MP Baijayant Panda, will visit Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Algeria. It includes MPs from the BJP, All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM), and other parties, along with former diplomats like Harsh Shringla.
Group 2, headed by BJP’s Ravi Shankar Prasad, is scheduled to travel to the UK, France, Germany, and other European nations. Members include BJP MPs, Shiv Sena (UBT)’s Priyanka Chaturvedi and former minister M J Akbar.
Group 3 is led by Janata Dal (United) [JD(U)’s] Sanjay Kumar Jha and will visit Indonesia, Malaysia, South Korea, Japan and Singapore. It includes members from the BJP, Trinamool Congress (TMC), Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)]and others, including former External Affairs Minister (EAM) Salman Khurshid.
Group 4, headed by Shiv Sena MP Eknath Shinde, will include MPs from Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) and Biju Janata Dal (BJD) and will visit the UAE, Liberia, Congo and Sierra Leone.
Group 5, led by Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, will comprise members from the BJP, Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) party, visiting the United States, Panama, Guyana, Brazil and Colombia.
Group 6, under Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam’s (DMK) MP Kanimozhi Karunanidhi, will head to Russia, Spain, Greece, Slovenia, and Latvia. It will comprise members from Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Samajwadi Party (SP) and National Conference (NC).
Group 7, led by the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharad Pawar faction) MP Supriya Sule, is assigned to visit Egypt, Qatar, Ethiopia, and South Africa. Former diplomat Syed Akbaruddin is also part of the delegation.
Congress criticises govt over the selection of names
The Indian National Congress (INC) party has criticised the selection process. Jairam Ramesh, general secretary and spokesperson for Congress, said, “Only one of the four names suggested by the INC leadership has been included,” adding that the government is playing “cheap political games” with an issue of national security and significance.
Ramesh told ANI that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had submitted four names of members — Anand Sharma, Gaurav Gogoi, Syed Naseer Hussain and Raja Brar — when the government asked for recommendations. They said, of these, only Anand Sharma was included.
The BJP government, however, has appointed other Congress leaders such as Shashi Tharoor, Manish Tewari, Amar Singh and Salman Khurshid, who were not among the recommended names given by their party.
The Congress in Kerala distanced itself from the controversy around Tharoor’s acceptance to lead a delegation. “The central leadership of the party should express its opinion,” VD Satheesan, leader of the Opposition in Kerala, told PTI.
Tharoor defended his participation, stating, “I saw no politics in the matter,” and agreed due to his experience in foreign affairs.
Pakistan’s counter-diplomatic campaign
Pakistan, meanwhile, has announced its own outreach in response to India’s diplomatic measures.
Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, after a call with Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leader Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, decided to send a delegation to world capitals, including the US, UK, France, Russia and Brussels.
PTI reported, citing Radio Pakistan, that the delegation will aim to “expose Indian propaganda” and present Pakistan’s case for peace.
“I am honoured to accept this responsibility and remain committed to serving Pakistan in these challenging times,” Bilawal was quoted as saying.
