Guwahati: In a significant diplomatic outreach following Operation Sindoor, the central government is set to dispatch seven all-party delegations of Members of Parliament to key global capitals beginning May 23, aiming to present a united front against Pakistan-sponsored terrorism.
However, the composition of these delegations has sparked controversy, particularly regarding the exclusion of Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi and the inclusion of Shashi Tharoor.
Ready for a challenge? Click here to take our quiz and show off your knowledge!
Led by senior MPs including Shashi Tharoor, Ravi Shankar Prasad, Sanjay Kumar Jha, Baijayant Panda, Kanimozhi Karunanidhi, Supriya Sule, and Shrikant Eknath Shinde, the 10-day outreach mission is coordinated by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju.
Controversy Over Delegation Composition
Despite the Congress party nominating Assam MP and Deputy Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Gaurav Gogoi, his name was notably dropped by the Centre.
Ready for a challenge? Click here to take our quiz and show off your knowledge!
This decision followed a sharp objection from Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, who urged that Gogoi not be included in the “sensitive and strategic assignment.”
Congress leader Jairam Ramesh had previously announced Gogoi’s nomination, along with Anand Sharma, Dr. Syed Naseer Hussain, and Raja Brar.
Adding to the intrigue, Shashi Tharoor, who will lead a key all-party delegation to the USA, Panama, Guyana, Brazil, and Colombia, was included despite not featuring in the Congress party’s initial shortlist of nominees. The Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs confirmed Tharoor’s leadership of this delegation.
Delegation Details:
Here’s the list of MPs & delegations with details of their destinations:
Group 1:
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Algeria
Baijayant Panda, Nishikant Dubey, Phangnon Konyak, Rekha Sharma, Asaduddin Owaisi, Satnam Singh Sandhu, Ghulam Nabi Azad, Harsh Shringla)
Group 2:
UK, France, Germany, EU, Italy, and Denmark
Ravi Shankar Prasad, Daggubati Purandeswari, Priyanka Chaturvedi, Ghulam Ali Khatana, Amar Singh, Samik Bhattacharya, MJ Akbar, Pankaj Saran)
Group 3:
Indonesia, Malaysia, Republic of Korea, Japan, and Singapore
Sanjay Kumar Jha, Aparajita Sarangi, Yusuf Pathan, Brij Lal, John Brittas, Pradan Baruah, Hemang Joshi, Salman Khurshid, Mohan Kumar
Group 4:
UAE, Liberia, Democratic Republic of Congo, and Sierra Leone
Shrikant Eknath Shinde, Bansuri Swaraj, ET Mohammed Basheer, Atul Garg, Sasmit Patra, Manan Kumar Mishra, SS Ahluwalia, Sujan Chinoy
Group 5:
USA, Panama, Guyana, Brazil, and Colombia
Shashi Tharoor, Shambhavi, Sarfaraz Ahmad, GM Harish Balayogi, Shashank Mani Tripathi, Bhubaneswar Kalita, Milind Murli Deora, Taranjit Singh Sandhu, Tejasvi Surya
Group 6:
Spain, Greece, Slovenia, Latvia, and Russia
Kanimozhi Karunanidhi, Rajeev Rai, Mian Altaf Ahmad, Capt. Brijesh Chowta, Prem Chand Gupta, Ashok Kumar Mittal, Manjeev S. Puri, Jawed Ashraf
Group 7:
Egypt, Qatar, Ethiopia, and South Africa
Supriya Sule, Rajiv Pratap Rudy, Vikramjeet Singh Sahney, Manish Tewari, Anurag Singh Thakur, Lavu Sri Krishna Devarayalu, Anand Sharma, V. Muraleedharan, Syed Akbaruddin