In a significant message of zero-tolerance against terrorism, the Central Government will send seven all-party delegations to key partner countries, including members of the UN Security council later in the month of May. This comes following Operation Sindoor and Pahalgam attack to assert India’s continued fight against cross-border terrorism.
The seven delegations will be led by seven Members of Parliament which include: Shashi Tharoor from Congress, Ravi Shankar Prasad from BJP, Sanjay Kumar Jha, from JDU, Baijayant Panda from BJP, Kanimozhi Karunanidhi from DMK, Supriya Sule from NCP and Eknath Shinde from Shiv Sena.
The all-party delegations will reflect India’s united stand and unwavering commitment to fighting terrorism in all its forms. They will take the country’s clear message of zero tolerance for terrorism to the global stage.
Shashi Tharoor will lead the delegation to the United States, Baijayant Panda to Europe, Kanimozhi to Russia, Shrikant Shinde to Africa, and Ravi Shankar Prasad to the Gulf countries.
Delegation to the United States
The delegation heading to the United States will be led by Shashi Tharoor. The team includes members Shambhavi Choudhary, Sarfaraz Ahmad, Sudip Bandyopadhyay, Harish Balayogi, Shashank Mani Tripathi, Bhubaneswar Kalita, and Milind Deora. The delegation will also be accompanied by Taranjit Singh Sandhu, former Ambassador to the US, along with Varun Jeph, Director of the Indian Ocean Region (IOR), who will serve as the liaison officer for the delegation.
Indian Parliamentary Delegation to Japan
The Indian parliamentary delegation to Japan will be led by Sanjay Jha, Member of Parliament from the Janata Dal United (JDU). The delegation members include senior Congress leader and former External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid, retired diplomat Mohan Kumar, former cricketer and current MP Yusuf Pathan, MPs Himang Joshi, John Brittas (CPI-M), Vikramjit Varshney, Pradhan Barua, and Aparajita Sarangi from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Parliamentary Affairs Ministry statement
A statement issued by the Parliamentary Affairs Ministry on Saturday said, "The all-party delegations will project India's national consensus and resolute approach to combating terrorism in all forms and manifestations. They would carry forth to the world the country's strong message of zero tolerance against terrorism."
"In the context of Operation Sindoor and India's continued fight against cross-border terrorism, seven all-party delegations are set to visit key partner countries, including members of the UN Security Council later this month," it said.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju, in a post on X said, "In moments that matter most, Bharat stands united. Seven All-Party Delegations will soon visit key partner nations, carrying our shared message of zero-tolerance to terrorism."
NCP MP Supriya Sule said she was honoured to be part of the all-party delegation representing India on the global stage. She expressed gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Ministry of External Affairs for entrusting her with the responsibility.
Each delegation likely to visit five countries
The government has carefully chosen leaders from across the political spectrum to head the delegations, selecting individuals known for their articulate representation. Of the seven, four represent the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA), while the remaining three belong to the opposition INDIA bloc.
Sources indicated that each delegation may visit around five countries. The Ministry also noted that distinguished diplomats will accompany each delegation.