NEW DELHI: The Congress party has accused the Union government of playing "cheap political games" in the selection of MPs for international delegations formed to explain India's position on Operation Sindoor . The party claimed that only one Congress MP was chosen out of the four names they had suggested for the all-party delegations.
According to Congress leader Jairam Ramesh, the Modi government had requested four names from the party on May 16th morning. The leader of opposition in Lok Sabha promptly submitted these names to the minister of parliamentary affairs by noon the same day. However, when the final list was released late on May 17, only one Congress representative was included.
"On May 16th morning, the Modi government asked for 4 names of Congress MPs/leaders to represent the INC in the delegations being sent abroad to explain India’s stance on terrorism from Pakistan. These 4 names were conveyed in writing by the LoP Lok Sabha to the minister of parliamentary affairs by 12 noon on May 16 itself. Very late tonight (May 17) the full list of members of all delegations has been officially released. Most regrettably, only 1 of the 4 names suggested by the INC leadership has been included," Congress party said in a post on X.
"This proves the complete insincerity of the Modi government and shows the cheap political games it always plays on serious national issues," the party wrote in the post.
The government has appointed Shashi Tharoor , a Congress MP from Thiruvananthapuram, as one of the seven delegation leaders. Interestingly, Tharoor was not among the four names originally proposed by the Congress, which included Anand Sharma, Gaurav Gogoi, Nasir Hussain, and Raja Brar.
The Congress also said it will cooperate with the delegations but is calling for an all-party meeting and a special session of Parliament to discuss terrorism and repeat the 1994 resolution on the matter.
"The 4 eminent Congress MPs/leaders who have been included at the instance of the Modi Govt will, of course, go with the delegations and make their contributions. The INC will not stoop to the pathetic level of the PM and the BJP. It will always uphold the finest traditions of Parliamentary democracy and not play partisan politics on national security issues, like the BJP does. INC wishes the delegations all the very best. These delegations should not, however, divert attention from the INC’s demands to have all-party meetings chaired by the PM and for a special session of Parliament to reiterate the resolution adopted on February 22, 1994, while also taking note of developments thereafter," the post added.
Meanwhile, Congress leader Jariam Ramesh, while talking to news agency ANI on Sunday said, "We sent 4 names from our party for the all-party MPs delegation- Anand Sharma, Gaurav Gogoi, Nasir Hussain and Raja Brar... The government had mischievous intentions from the beginning, they added 4 more names which were not in our list."
Union minister Kiren Rijiju announced that the seven-member multi-party delegations will visit key partner countries, including UN Security Council members, later this month. The delegations aim to explain Operation Sindoor and emphasise India's stance against crossborder terrorism.
The delegations were formed following Operation Sindoor on May 7 in response to the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam. The operation targeted terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and PoK, eliminating over 100 terrorists from various groups including Jaish-e-Mohammed, Lashkar-e-Taiba, and Hizbul Mujahideen.
Pakistan's subsequent retaliatory actions led to Indian counterattacks on multiple strategic locations across Pakistan.
According to Congress leader Jairam Ramesh, the Modi government had requested four names from the party on May 16th morning. The leader of opposition in Lok Sabha promptly submitted these names to the minister of parliamentary affairs by noon the same day. However, when the final list was released late on May 17, only one Congress representative was included.
"On May 16th morning, the Modi government asked for 4 names of Congress MPs/leaders to represent the INC in the delegations being sent abroad to explain India’s stance on terrorism from Pakistan. These 4 names were conveyed in writing by the LoP Lok Sabha to the minister of parliamentary affairs by 12 noon on May 16 itself. Very late tonight (May 17) the full list of members of all delegations has been officially released. Most regrettably, only 1 of the 4 names suggested by the INC leadership has been included," Congress party said in a post on X.
"This proves the complete insincerity of the Modi government and shows the cheap political games it always plays on serious national issues," the party wrote in the post.
The government has appointed Shashi Tharoor , a Congress MP from Thiruvananthapuram, as one of the seven delegation leaders. Interestingly, Tharoor was not among the four names originally proposed by the Congress, which included Anand Sharma, Gaurav Gogoi, Nasir Hussain, and Raja Brar.
The Congress also said it will cooperate with the delegations but is calling for an all-party meeting and a special session of Parliament to discuss terrorism and repeat the 1994 resolution on the matter.
"The 4 eminent Congress MPs/leaders who have been included at the instance of the Modi Govt will, of course, go with the delegations and make their contributions. The INC will not stoop to the pathetic level of the PM and the BJP. It will always uphold the finest traditions of Parliamentary democracy and not play partisan politics on national security issues, like the BJP does. INC wishes the delegations all the very best. These delegations should not, however, divert attention from the INC’s demands to have all-party meetings chaired by the PM and for a special session of Parliament to reiterate the resolution adopted on February 22, 1994, while also taking note of developments thereafter," the post added.
Meanwhile, Congress leader Jariam Ramesh, while talking to news agency ANI on Sunday said, "We sent 4 names from our party for the all-party MPs delegation- Anand Sharma, Gaurav Gogoi, Nasir Hussain and Raja Brar... The government had mischievous intentions from the beginning, they added 4 more names which were not in our list."
Union minister Kiren Rijiju announced that the seven-member multi-party delegations will visit key partner countries, including UN Security Council members, later this month. The delegations aim to explain Operation Sindoor and emphasise India's stance against crossborder terrorism.
The delegations were formed following Operation Sindoor on May 7 in response to the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam. The operation targeted terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and PoK, eliminating over 100 terrorists from various groups including Jaish-e-Mohammed, Lashkar-e-Taiba, and Hizbul Mujahideen.
Pakistan's subsequent retaliatory actions led to Indian counterattacks on multiple strategic locations across Pakistan.
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