New Delhi : Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Wednesday criticized the Centre’s decision to send multi-party delegations to international capitals under Operation Sindoor, calling it a “diversionary tactic” and a public relations exercise orchestrated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Ramesh questioned why the government was avoiding a special session of Parliament to address the Pahalgam terrorist attack, instead opting for external diplomatic efforts.
“We are raising real issues about terrorism, China, Pakistan… Why are you not calling a special session of Parliament?” he asked.
Ramesh emphasized that Congress and other opposition parties had been calling for an all-party meeting since April 22, and while two such meetings were held, Prime Minister Modi was absent. He further noted that Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge had written to the PM demanding a special session to discuss critical national security issues.
He accused the Centre of distracting the public by announcing initiatives like the caste census and sending parliamentary delegations abroad, instead of addressing pressing domestic concerns.
“We have also not discussed the China issue. To divert attention, the government announced a caste census and sent delegations abroad,” Ramesh added.
In response, JD(U) MP Sanjay Kumar Jha, who is leading one of the seven all-party delegations, defended the move. Speaking to ANI, Jha said the mission is to expose Pakistan’s state-sponsored terrorism and bring global attention to its role in supporting cross-border violence.
“Our delegation will be visiting Japan, South Korea, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore. Our objective is to reveal to the world that terrorism in Pakistan is part of its state policy,” Jha stated.
According to the Ministry of External Affairs, the first three delegations will begin their tours on Wednesday and Thursday. The initiative is aimed at building international consensus around India’s zero-tolerance approach to terrorism, particularly in light of the recent terror incidents and rising regional threats.
The delegations include representatives from across party lines, such as:
- Shashi Tharoor (Congress)
- Ravi Shankar Prasad and Baijayant Panda (BJP)
- Sanjay Kumar Jha (JD-U)
- Kanimozhi Karunanidhi (DMK)
- Supriya Sule (NCP-SP)
Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri earlier briefed the delegates at Parliament, setting the tone for the diplomatic initiative under Operation Sindoor, which aims to spotlight India’s fight against cross-border terrorism before the international community, including UN Security Council members.