New Delhi: In a confrontation, Trinamool Congress on Sunday conveyed to the Modi government that Yusuf Pathan or any MP will not be part of any multi-party delegations visiting various countries to campaign against Pakistan’s cross-border terrorism, sources said.
The Mamata Banerjee-led party was not in agreement with the government’s move to choose an MP on its own without consulting its leadership and decided not to be part of the post-Pahalgam global reach out exercise, sources said.
Neither Pathan, the cricketer-turned-MP, or any other lawmaker from the Trinamool will be part of it, they said.
After its Lok Sabha floor leader Sudip Bandhyopadhyay expressed his inability to join a delegation owing to ill health, the government had chosen the Murshidabad MP to be part of the delegation. Trinamool said they were not consulted by the government.
Pathan was asked to join the delegation led by JD(U) MP Sanjay Jha, which is scheduled to visit Indonesia, Malaysia, South Korea and Singapore. The nine member team, including Salman Khurshid, John Brittas and Brij Lal, were to leave on May 21 for Japan.
Sources said Trinamool is also of the view that the Modi government has embarked on this exercise as a diversionary tactic.
Earlier, the Congress has also raised a hue and cry over the government rejecting three of the four names it recommended and including four other leaders, who were chosen by the dispensation.
The Congress had then accused the government of being “dishonest” and “playing games”. It also said it appeared that the government had decided on the names even before it consulted its leadership.
Fifty-nine people, including eight veteran diplomats, were selected to be members of the delegations visiting 32 countries and the European Union.