Delegation row: Pahalgam victims' kin, armed forces bravehearts should be part of it, says TMC

Trinamool Congress leader Abhishek Banerjee on Monday said India should send the kin of Pahalgam terror attack victims or armed forces officers who led Operation Sindoor abroad as ambassadors of the country's zero-tolerance stance against terrorism. The Lok Sabha MP also made it amply clear that his party has not boycotted the all-party delegations being sent by the Union government to key partner countries, including members of the UN Security Council, to convey India's message post-Pahalgam massacre and strikes on terror infra in Pakistan and Pakistan Occupied Kashmir.

Interacting with reporters here, the Trinamool national general secretary reiterated that his party stood with the government in matters of national interest, combating cross-border terrorism, and safeguarding sovereignty.

"However, as far as the parliamentary delegations are concerned, the Centre cannot unilaterally decide who will be selected from which party. They have to ask for the names and arrange for wider deliberations with all political parties, especially those in the opposition camp," said the nephew of TMC supremo and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

"And then, if you ask for five names from Trinamool, we will nominate five MPs to be a part of those delegations."

The Diamond Harbour MP said TMC would "definitely" send its members as members of the delegations if the party if approached.

"If you ask, then only it will send... No one was approached. I'm the party general secretary. Did they approach me? Did they approach the chairperson? No one was approached," he said.

Abhishek Banerjee said that he heard Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju saying the delegations won't represent any party in particular but the nation. "I couldn't agree more," he said.

"So when it comes to representing the country, I think we should come to a consensus that instead of sending parliamentarians, it would be prudent to send the family members of the martyrs or the victim's family or the survivors (of Pahalgam attack)," he said.

"We should be sending the brave armed forces, the officers who have led Operation Sindoor from the front, who have dedicated their lives for the country, who spent countless nights keeping vigil and let India sleep without fear," he said.

Batting for them to be sent as members of the delegations, the TMC leader said, "Who is better positioned than them to represent the country?... This is not a time to play politics. Politics can take a backseat."

TMC MP Yusuf Pathan's name was announced as part of a delegation led by Janata Dal (United) MP Sanjay Jha, which is supposed to visit Indonesia, Malaysia, South Korea, Japan and Singapore. The Berhampore MP and former India cricketer, however, has opted out.

Earlier, TMC Lok Sabha Parliamentary Party leader Sudip Bandyopadhyay was approached by the government to join the delegation. He had, however, turned down the offer citing health reasons.

The Centre on Sunday announced the names of members of seven delegations, which will comprise political leaders, parliamentarians and former ministers from various parties, travelling to world capitals to put across India's resolve to tackle terrorism against the backdrop of Operation Sindoor.

The delegations are being 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), and will visit a total of 32 countries and the EU headquarters in Brussels, Belgium.