Congress Leader and Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor has been named to lead an All-Party Delegation globally, even after the grand old party skipped his name while submitting a shortlist for the Centre’s proposed delegations to different countries.
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 United Nations Security Council (UNSC). This visit is scheduled for later this month.
In a post on the social media platform X, Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh on Saturday said that Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi wrote to the Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Kiren Rijiju and submitted four names on behalf of the grand old party. The list did not include the name of Tharoor.
Ramesh wrote in the post, “Yesterday morning, the Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Kiren Rijiju spoke with the Congress President and the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha. The INC was asked to submit names of 4 MPs for the delegations to be sent abroad to explain India’s stance on terrorism from Pakistan.”
“By noon yesterday May 16th, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha wrote to the Minister of Parliamentary Affairs…,” he added.
As per Jairam Ramesh, the following names were submitted by Congress:
1- Anand Sharma, former Union Cabinet Minister
2- Gaurav Gogoi, Deputy Leader, INC LS
3- Dr. Syed Naseer Hussain, MP, RS
4- Raja Brar, MP, LS
Yesterday morning, the Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Kiren Rijiju spoke with the Congress President and the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha. The INC was asked to submit names of 4 MPs for the delegations to be sent abroad to explain India’s stance on terrorism from…
— Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) May 17, 2025
Which MPs Will Lead Seven Delegations?
The Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs’ statement read, “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.”
MPs from different parties will be part of each delegation. The following MPs will lead the seven delegations:
1- Shashi Tharoor, Congress
2- Ravi Shankar Prasad, BJP
3- Sanjay Kumar Jha, JDU
4- Baijayant Panda, BJP
5- Kanimozhi Karunanidhi, DMK
6- Supriya Sule, NCP
7- Shrikant Eknath Shinde, Shiv Sena
‘…I Will Not Be Found Wanting’: Tharoor
In a post on X, Tharoor posted that he is honoured by the invitation to lead an All-Party Delegation to five key capitals
“I am honoured by the invitation of the government of India to lead an all-party delegation to five key capitals, to present our nation’s point of view on recent events,” he said.
He added that when national interest is involved, and his services are required, he will “not be found wanting”.
pic.twitter.com/b4Qjd12cN9
— Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) May 17, 2025
Operation Sindoor
The Indian Armed Forces launched Operation Sindoor to avenge the Pahalgam terror attack.
The Operation hit terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK); altogether, nine sites were targeted.
The Ministry of Defence had clarified that India’s actions were ‘focused, measured and non-escalatory.’