In the wake of a deadly terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, last month, the Indian armed forces launched Operation Sindoor.  The Indian government has announced seven all-party delegations will be sent to 32 countries along with the European Union headquarters in Brussels, Belgium from 23rd May to promote India's zero-tolerance policy on terrorism and its recent military operation, Operation Sindoor.

The mission operates under the theme "One Mission, One Message, One Bharat," 

The delegations comprise 59 members, including political leaders from the ruling NDA and other parties. These are 7 MPs who will lead the groups. The 59 members will be divided amongst these 7 groups. 

1. Baijayant Jay Panda, BJP: BJP's national vice president, will lead a delegation that includes AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi and Former Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad. As per reports they will visit Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Algeria.  

2. Ravi Shankar Prasad, BJP: Priyanka Chaturvedi from Shiv Sena (UBT) will be a part of this team. This group will travel to the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Denmark, and the EU headquarters in Brussels, Belgium. 

3. Sanjay Kumar Jha, Janata Dal (United): CPI(M)'s John Brittas and Congress's Salman Khurshid are part of this group. This group will travel to Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia.

4. Shrikant Eknath Shinde, Shiv Sena (Shinde faction): Shrikant Shinde is the son of Maharashtra Dy Chief minister Eknath Shinde. He is the youngest among those leading delegations.  Mohammed Basheer from Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), Sasmit Patra from Biju Janata Dal (BJD). They will travel to the United Arab Emirates, Liberia, Congo, and Sierra Leone.

5. Shashi Tharoor, Congress: He was the Centre's surprise pick and the one choice that has created the biggest buzz. Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) Sarfaraz Ahmad, BJP’s Tejasvi Surya and Milind Murli Deora are part of this team. They will visit the United States, Panama, Guyana, Brazil, and Colombia.

6. Kanimozhi Karunanidhi, DMK: Ms Kanimozhi is the only MP from southern India to lead a delegation.  Samajwadi Party’s Rajeev Rai. Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) MP Prem Chand Gupta will also join them, along with Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MP Ashok Kumar Mittal.  They will visit Spain, Greece, Slovenia, Latvia and Russia. 

7. Supriya Sule, NCP (Sharad Pawar faction): Ms Sule's team will include BJP's Anurag Singh Thakur, Congress' Manish Tewari and AAP's Vikramjee Singh Sahney. They will cover Oman, Kenya, South Africa, and Egypt, 

Each group will have India’s Ambassadors.  

According to the Ministry, each delegation will meet with senior officials, lawmakers, and policy influencers in their respective destinations. The primary goal of each delegation is to reinforce India's demand that the international community hold Pakistan accountable for its support of terrorist groups operating across the border. They will also give the government's message that any future terror attacks will be viewed as acts of war. Topics of discussion will include the Pahalgam attack and India's response, cross-border terrorism, India's position on Jammu and Kashmir and the need for stronger methods to counter terrorism.  

Surprisingly, when the government had asked for a suggested list from various parties, Congress’s list did not include Shashi Tharoor. However, he was still selected and that sparked a BJP vs Congress debate. Congress was not happy with this inclusion. When Tharoor was asked about his inclusion, Tharoor said that he was honoured by the invitation of the government of India to lead an all-party delegation. He added that when national interest is involved, and his services are required, he will always be ready to support. When asked about Congress’s reaction, he said that the Congress leadership should explain their opinion and added that he had no comment to make on it. 

Meanwhile, AIMIM MP Asaduddin Owaisi had criticized Turkey for supporting Pakistan, asking it to reconsider its position. He pointed out that India has a larger Muslim population than Pakistan. Owaisi also spoke about historic ties between India and Turkey. He said that Isbank, a Turkish bank, earlier had depositors from India. He added that even until 1990, Turkish was taught in Ladakh and  till 1920, people from northern Turkey came to Ladakh and then traveled to Mumbai to perform Hajj. He added that it was an historic opportunity for the government, for Prime Minister Modi, for home minister Amit Shah to confront Pakistan but at the same time ensure the protection of human rights in Kashmir and Kashmiri students shouldn't be attacked in other parts of the country.  About his selection to be a part of the seven-member all-party delegation, he said, "This is not about any party affiliation. We will have a more detailed meeting before leaving. This is an important task. I will try my best to fulfil this responsibility well.” 

While Tharoor, Owaisi and other opposition leaders were honoured to be a part of the delegation, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut has criticized the Indian government's decision. Raut said this was like a "baraat," or wedding procession, and questioned if it was necessary. He also slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership. He said, “The Prime Minister is weak. There was no need to rush this. The BJP has a habit of doing politics in everything. The India bloc should boycott this baraat."

Yusuf Pathan refused to be a part of the delegation stating that he was unavailable. Mamta Banerjee’s nephew, Abhishek was appointed. 

Tags

• Operation Sindoor
• India anti-terror mission
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