NEW DELHI: The Trinamool Congress (TMC) on Tuesday recommended party general secretary and Lok Sabha MP Abhishek Banerjee to represent the party in the Parliamentary delegations linked to Operation Sindoor.The decision came after parliamentary affairs minister Kiren Rijiju contacted TMC chief Mamata Banerjee to discuss representation.TMC posted on X: “We’re delighted to share that our chairperson Mamata Banerjee has nominated National GS Abhishek Banerjee to represent Trinamool Congress in the all-party delegation for India’s global outreach against terrorism.”A day earlier, Abhishek Banerjee had strongly voiced the need for wider consultation before finalising the members of such delegations. “…As for the parliamentary delegation of members, I said this earlier in the afternoon that the Centre cannot unilaterally decide who will go from which party. They must ask for names and hold wider deliberations with all political parties, especially the opposition. If you ask for five names from Trinamool, we will nominate five MPs,” he said.Referring to the government’s justification for the delegations, he added, “Now, I got the news that the parliamentary affairs minister said that they’re ‘representing the country’ — and I completely agree with him. So if it’s about representing the country, we must unanimously agree and build consensus.”He also proposed a broader approach, suggesting, “Instead of sending only parliamentarians, we should consider sending the family members of martyrs, survivors, or the brave officers who led Operation Sindoor from the frontlines, those who have risked their lives and stayed vigilant so India could sleep in peace. Who better to represent the country than them?”The parliamentary outreach initiative includes 51 political leaders – parliamentarians and former ministers from different parties, as well as eight former ambassadors. These members will form seven delegations that will travel to various world capitals to present India’s position on counterterrorism efforts and Operation Sindoor.The delegations will be led by prominent political leaders, including Baijayant Panda and Ravi Shankar Prasad (BJP), Sanjay Kumar Jha (JDU), Shrikant Eknath Shinde (Shiv Sena), Shashi Tharoor (Congress), Kanimozhi Karunanidhi (DMK), and Supriya Sule (NCP-SP). The groups are scheduled to visit 32 countries along with the European Union headquarters in Brussels.
