The Centre on Sunday announced the names of members of seven multi-party delegations who will travel to world capitals to convey India’s resolve to tackle terrorism, against the backdrop of Operation Sindoor
TMC MP Yusuf Pathan. PIC/X
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday accused West Bengal Chief Minister (CM) Mamata Banerjee of forcing her party's Lok Sabha Member of Parliament (MP) Yusuf Pathan to opt out of the multi-party diplomatic delegation, reported news agency PTI.
The All India Trinamool Congress (AITMC) sources said that Pathan, who was named by the Centre in one of the delegations, has opted out of the tour. However, it insisted that is not boycotting the diplomatic delegation and only wants to be allowed to pick its representative.
On Sunday, the Centre had announced the names of members of seven delegations, comprising political leaders, parliamentarians, and former ministers from various parties, travelling to world capitals to put across India's resolve to tackle terrorism against the backdrop of Operation Sindoor, reported PTI.
Janata Dal (United) MP Sanjay Jha had elected Yusuf Pathan as one of the delegates to represent India’s stance in other countries, including Indonesia, Malaysia, South Korea, Japan, and Singapore, to convey New Delhi's message on Operation Sindoor.
However, after the former cricketer opted out of the tour, BJP co-incharge for West Bengal, Amit Malviya, slammed CM Mamata Banerjee for "representing the worst kind of politics", PTI reported.
Taking to social media platform X, Malviya said that Banerjee's decision to force the TMC MP to withdraw from the multi-party delegation is "unfortunate".
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s decision to force the TMC MP to withdraw from the multi-party delegation is unfortunate. This is a Government of India delegation and should have been kept above partisan politics. Members of Parliament are representatives of the…
— Amit Malviya (@amitmalviya) May 19, 2025
He further stated that this is the Government of India's delegation and it should have been kept above partisan politics, maintaining that MPs are representatives of the people as well.
According to PTI, Malviya further emphasised that it sends a subliminal message that Banerjee and her party are unwilling to speak out against Pakistan-sponsored terrorism. "What is worse is that while a caucus of senior party apparatchiks prevailed, likely because they were not part of the delegation, other senior TMC MPs are now sending feelers to be included," he said, adding, "After all, it is a matter of national pride to represent the country at such a moment."
Accusing Banerjee of representing the "worst kind of politics", Malviya said, "Unfortunately, West Bengal is bearing the brunt of it." "Let us not forget that a hostile demographic shift is staring the state in the face," he added.
While the TMC sources did not specify the reason for Yusuf Pathan's decision to opt out of the delegation, both Banerjee and party national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee on Monday said that the Centre should not decide the party's nominee to the delegations.
Banerjee, speaking to the media at the Kolkata airport, said that her party was not boycotting the Centre's multi-party diplomatic delegation which is aimed at countering Pakistan-sponsored terrorism and would send its representatives once a formal request is received from the Centre.
“We will definitely send a representative if they inform us. Why wouldn't we? There is no point of controversy here. We are fully with the government,” she stated.
The delegations are being led by BJP's Baijayant Panda and Ravi Shankar Prasad, Sanjay Kumar Jha (JDU), Shrikant Shinde (Shiv Sena), Shashi Tharoor (Congress), Kanimozhi (DMK), and Supriya Sule (NCP-SP). The MPs will visit 32 countries as well as the European Union (EU) headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, reported PTI.
(With inputs from PTI)
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