Centre should not decide on party representations: TMC's Abhishek on Op Sindoor mission

Kolkata: Trinamool Congress national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee on Monday said the leadership of a party should decide the names of its representatives for the Centre's multi-party diplomatic mission to counter Pakistan-sponsored terrorism.

Speaking about the diplomatic outreach programme, Banerjee affirmed the party’s support for the Centre in its anti-terrorism efforts.

"I believe that whatever decision the Union government takes — if it aims at combating and curbing terrorism, safeguarding the sovereignty of the nation and protecting the national interest — we, as a party, will stand with the Centre shoulder to shoulder. But if there is a multi-party delegation going, it will be the individual party to decide its representatives," Banerjee told reporters at the city airport before leaving for Delhi.

The Centre has named Yusuf Pathan as part of the all-party parliamentary delegations, which will visit 30 countries to highlight India's zero-tolerance policy on terrorism.

The initiative has been titled 'One Mission, One Message, One Bharat'.

"The Centre cannot unilaterally decide who will represent which party. This has to be decided by the respective party leadership. If you ask for one representative, we will give you five names. But the Centre also needs to show its good intent and call for a wider deliberation with all parties in the opposition," he added.