Honoured to lead all-party teams abroad on terrorism, says Tharoor
The government has named seven MPs cutting across the political spectrum to lead delegations to several countries; Tharoor is one of them
Veteran Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Saturday described it as an “honour” that he was picked to lead an all-party delegation to foreign countries to explain India’s stand on Pakistan-sponsored terrorism.
A former diplomat, Tharoor said in a post on X about his impending trip to five key capitals: “When national interest is involved, and my services are required, I will not be found wanting. Jai Hind!"
Tharoor called his selection by the government an “honour”.
Operation Sindoor
The government has named seven MPs cutting across the political spectrum to lead delegations to several countries including members of the UN Security Council. Tharoor is one of them.
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This follows the brief military conflict between India and Pakistan in the wake of the massacre of over two dozen civilians by Pakistani terrorists at Pahalgam in Jammu and Kashmir on April 22.
The delegations are scheduled to visit various countries over a 10-day period. The MPs will be assigned to different regional blocs by the government.
Tharoor and Congress
Tharoor has openly praised the Modi government for carrying out Operation Sindoor, in the process earning the wrath of his Congress party.
Parliamentary affairs minister Kiren Rijiju said the seven all-party delegations will soon visit key partner nations, carrying India's "shared message of zero-tolerance to terrorism".
Besides Tharoor, the Centre has chosen opposition leaders Kanimozhi Karunanidhi of the DMK and Supriya Sule of the Nationalist Congress Party of Sharad Pawar.
Others in delegations
The Bharatiya Janata Party’s Ravi Shankar Prasad and Baijayant Panda, the Janata Dal-United’s Sanjay Kumar Jha and the Shiv Sena's Shrikant Shinde will lead the other four delegations.
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These delegations will "project India's national consensus" and "resolute approach to combating terrorism in all forms and manifestations", the ministry of parliamentary affairs said.
Besides some others from the BJP, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi, Salman Khurshid of the Congress and John Brittas of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) will also be in the delegations that will include distinguished diplomats.