"Party leadership entitled to opinion of my abilities," Tharoor stands by decision to lead MP delegation despite Congress objection

Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala) [India], May 17 (ANI): Congress MP Shashi Tharoor will lead one of the seven delegations of project for the India's continued fight against cross-border terrorism. Tharoor stated that he will diligently fulfill his assigned responsibilities, emphasizing that while the party leadership is entitled to its opinions, his commitment remains steadfast.
"My party leadership is entitled to its opinion of my abilities or lack thereof, and I think that is really for them to explain. I have absolutely no comment to make on that. I am honoured to have been entrusted with the responsibility, and I will fulfil that responsibility just as I have fulfilled every responsibility entrusted to me in my rather long working life, whether at the United Nations or in the Congress Party...We have a Parliamentary Standing Committee meeting on Monday and Tuesday on various issues, including this particular issue. Certainly, I informed them (the party) of the first call I got, which was two days ago. I also mentioned to the parliamentary affairs minister that I assumed that he would be talking to the party leaderships of opposition parties, and he assured me that he would be. I found it entirely appropriate, as I said, that the country should rally together on this particularly important issue...," he said.
Tharoor expressed his commitment to the cause, and emphasised that the mission transcends party politics and reflects national unity.
"As a citizen, being called upon to serve the nation at a time of crisis is a matter of duty for all of us. It is an honour that I've been asked to lead the delegation, and I look forward to playing my part. I had no hesitation in accepting the kind invitation of the government," he said.
"To my mind, this has nothing to do with party politics. It's all to do with what our country has been through in recent times and the need for us to present a united front...It is a good reflection of national unity at a time when unity is important," he added.
Earlier on Saturday, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh criticised the government for not accepting all the names given by Congress party, and said that this is "dishonest on the government's part."
This comes after the government named Congress leader Shashi Tharoor in the list of 7 MPs who would represent India at world forums, where they would brief world leaders on Operation Sindoor.
"We were asked for names. We expected that the names we had given would be included. We hoped that the names given by the party would be included. But when we saw the press release of PIB, we were surprised. I cannot say what will happen now. Asking four names, giving four names, and announcing another name is dishonest on the government's part. It is possible that' Mr Rijiju had talked to Rahul ji and Kharge even after the government had made up their mind, but I am giving him the benefit of the doubt. But what happened is dishonest. We are not going to change these four names," Jairam Ramesh said.
The All-Party Delegations will project India's national consensus and resolute approach to combating terrorism in all forms and manifestations. They would carry forth to the world the country's strong message of zero tolerance against terrorism.
Members of Parliament from different parties, prominent political personalities, and distinguished diplomats will be part of each delegation.
India launched Operation Sindoor on May 7 in response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack in which 26 people were killed. India's precision strikes in Pakistan and PoJK on May 7 killed over 100 terrorists. (ANI)