The Congress party has expressed its full support for the Indian government’s initiative to deploy all-party delegations to partner countries as part of Operation Sindoor. Speaking to journalists in Lucknow, senior Congress leader Pawan Khera stated that party MPs will participate in this initiative, emphasizing that it represents a campaign for the entire nation.

“We have formally endorsed this by submitting a letter, and our MPs will certainly be involved. We also proposed certain names from our party to join the delegations. This campaign belongs to the entire country, not to a single party or the central government,” Khera remarked.

The Modi administration has established seven all-party delegations to articulate India’s perspective on Operation Sindoor. These delegations will comprise members from various political parties, notable politicians, and esteemed diplomats.

The delegations are set to visit partner countries, including members of the United Nations Security Council, to convey India’s unified stance and determined efforts against terrorism in all its forms.

Leading these delegations are Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, BJP representatives Ravi Shankar Prasad and Jay Panda, JDU’s Sanjay Kumar Jha, DMK’s Kanimozhi, NCP’s Supriya Sule, and Shiv Sena’s Shrikant Eknath Shinde.

To appoint additional members for the delegations, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju consulted with Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, requesting them to provide four names.

Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh confirmed this development, noting that the party has submitted the names of Anand Sharma, former Union Cabinet Minister; Gaurav Gogoi, Deputy Leader, INC in Lok Sabha; Dr. Syed Naseer Hussain, MP in Rajya Sabha; and Raja Brar, MP in Lok Sabha.

On Saturday, the government officially announced its plan to send multiple delegations of Members of Parliament from various political parties to key world capitals. The purpose is to highlight Pakistan’s involvement in the recent Pahalgam terror attack.

“As part of Operation Sindoor and India’s ongoing battle against cross-border terrorism, seven All-Party Delegations will travel to significant partner nations, including members of the UN Security Council, later this month,” stated Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju in a post on social media platform X.

The MPs selected to lead these delegations include Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, BJP leaders Ravi Shankar Prasad and Baijayant Panda, Janata Dal (United)’s Sanjay Kumar Jha, DMK’s Kanimozhi Karunanidhi, NCP’s Supriya Sule, and Shiv Sena’s Shrikant Eknath Shinde.

According to the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs, these All-Party Delegations are expected to visit important nations, including the UAE, Qatar, South Africa, Egypt, the USA, and Japan, likely between May 22 and June 1.

Additional MPs anticipated to join the delegations include BJP’s Anurag Thakur, Rajiv Pratap Rudy, and Tejasvi Surya, as well as Congress’ Manish Tewari and Asaduddin Owaisi from AIMIM.

Meanwhile, there has been some dissatisfaction within Congress regarding Shashi Tharoor’s name. Paradoxically, while Congress agreed to participate in the multi-party delegations “putting national interest first,” there were disagreements over Tharoor’s inclusion, since the party initially suggested Anand Sharma, Gaurav Gogoi, Syed Naseer Hussain, and Raja Brar for the nominations.

“Yesterday morning, Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Kiren Rijiju spoke with Congress President and the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha. The INC was invited to propose names of four MPs to represent India’s stance on terrorism from Pakistan,” stated Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh on X.

“By noon on May 16th, the Leader of the Opposition submitted the following names on behalf of the INC: 1. Shri Anand Sharma, former Union Cabinet Minister, 2. Shri Gaurav Gogoi, Deputy Leader, INC LS, 3. Dr. Syed Naseer Hussain, MP, RS, and 4. Shri Raja Brar, MP, LS,” Mr. Ramesh added. However, party sources indicate that Congress has now accepted the government’s proposal to include Shashi Tharoor.

On Saturday, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor expressed his gratitude for the Government of India’s invitation to lead an all-party delegation aimed at conveying India’s perspective on Operation Sindoor. Despite facing criticism within his party for commending the NDA government’s initiatives, Tharoor emphasized his commitment to national interests.

“I am honored to lead this all-party delegation to five key capitals, representing our nation’s viewpoint on recent developments. When national interests are at stake, I will always be ready to serve,” Tharoor shared on X.

He also shared a notification from the government regarding the formation of seven all-party delegations. Alongside Tharoor, other prominent leaders such as BJP’s Ravi Shankar Prasad and Jay Panda, JDU’s Sanjay Kumar Jha, DMK’s Kanimozhi, NCP’s Supriya Sule, and Shiv Sena’s Shrikant Eknath Shinde will head these delegations.

Members from various parties, notable politicians, and esteemed diplomats will join these groups. The delegations will visit countries that are part of the United Nations Security Council to promote “India’s national consensus and firm stance against terrorism in all its forms.”

To finalize the delegation members, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju consulted Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Lok Sabha Opposition Leader Rahul Gandhi, requesting them to propose four names. Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh confirmed that the party nominated Anand Sharma, former Union Cabinet Minister; Gaurav Gogoi, Deputy Leader of Congress in the Lok Sabha; Dr. Syed Naseer Hussain, Rajya Sabha MP; and Raja Brar, Lok Sabha MP.