Top News

Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri is scheduled to brief a parliamentary committee on Monday and Tuesday regarding India’s foreign policy developments with Pakistan in the wake of Operation Sindoor, launched to avenge the recent terror attack in Pahalgam. The operation has since led to military actions between the two countries, which came to a halt following a mutual understanding on 10 May.

Misri will appear before the Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs, chaired by Congress MP Shashi Tharoor. Meanwhile, the Committee on Water Resources, led by BJP MP Rajiv Pratap Rudy, is also set to receive briefings from government departments on issues such as monsoon-related floods, soil erosion, riverbank protection, and transboundary rivers.

As part of its global diplomatic outreach, the Union government has constituted seven all-party delegations to visit 32 countries and the European Union headquarters in Brussels. These teams aim to apprise foreign governments of India’s firm stance against terrorism in the backdrop of Operation Sindoor.

Congress Slams Centre Over Exclusion of Nominated MPs in Global Delegations on Terror Briefing

However, the Congress party on Saturday criticised the Modi government for allegedly sidelining most of its nominated representatives. The party claimed that only one of the four Congress leaders it nominated was included in the final list of 51 participants.

Congress general secretary in-charge of communications, Jairam Ramesh, said, “On May 16th morning, the Modi government asked for four names of Congress MPs/leaders to represent the Congress in the delegations being sent abroad to explain India’s stance on terrorism from Pakistan. These four names were conveyed in writing by the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, to the Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, Kiren Rijiju, by 12 noon on May 16.”

The Congress nominated Anand Sharma, Gaurav Gogoi, Syed Naseer Hussain, and Amrinder Singh Raja Warring. However, only Sharma has been included in the final list.

Ramesh said, “Very late tonight (May 17th), the full list of members of all delegations has been officially released. Most regrettably, only one of the four names suggested by the INC leadership has been included. This proves the complete insincerity of the Modi government and shows the cheap political games it always plays on serious national issues.”

He added that although four other Congress leaders—Shashi Tharoor, Manish Tewari, Amar Singh, and Salman Khurshid—have been included in the delegations by the government, they were not among those nominated by the party. “The four eminent Congress MPs/leaders who have been included at the instance of the Modi government will, of course, go with the delegations and make their contributions,” Ramesh said.

“The Congress 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,” he asserted.

Ramesh also emphasised that these diplomatic delegations should not divert attention from the Congress’ demand for all-party meetings chaired by the Prime Minister and a special session of Parliament to reaffirm the 22 February 1994 resolution on Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, while taking into account recent developments.

Each of the seven delegations—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)—will be composed of seven to eight leaders and assisted by former diplomats. Of the 51 leaders, 31 belong to the ruling NDA, while the remaining 20 are from non-NDA parties.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju, in a post on X, said, “One mission. One message. One Bharat. Seven All-Party Delegations will soon engage key nations under #OperationSindoor, reflecting our collective resolve against terrorism.”

Among the participants are former Union Ministers Ghulam Nabi Azad, M J Akbar, V Muraleedharan, Salman Khurshid, Anand Sharma, and S S Ahluwalia—some of whom are not currently Members of Parliament.

The Congress reportedly disapproved of Tharoor being chosen to lead one of the delegations, viewing it as an act of political manoeuvring by the Centre.