Country comes first, party later: Supriya Sule presents unified Indian stance from all-party delegation in Addis Ababa

Addis Ababa [Ethiopia], June 1 (ANI): All-party delegation led by NCP-SCP MP Supriya Sule on Sunday presented a cohesive message to the international community, showcasing India's collective commitment to addressing terrorism and security concerns.
By involving members from different parties, the delegation highlighted national consensus on key issues, strengthening India's position globally.
Underlining the delegation's united front, Supriya Sule said, "For us, the country comes first, state second, party third and then our family. We come here as a team of all parties. For me, ours is a heavyweight delegation, as most have served as ministers in important departments..."

BJP MP Anurag Thakur criticised Pakistan for allegedly glorifying terrorists. He said, "... Pakistan Army officials, Police personnel and leaders attended the funerals of slain terrorists and the bodies of those terrorists were wrapped in the Pakistani flag; no country does so but Pakistan did... Their minister accepted on camera that Pakistan has been doing this dirty work for decades..."
Notably, Hafiz Abdul Rauf, a US-designated global terrorist and high-level Lashkar-e-Taiba commander, led funeral prayers for those who died in the Indian missile strikes. Rauf has been implicated in facilitating LeT's operations, which include high-profile attacks such as the 2008 Mumbai terror attack that killed 166 people. The U.S. Department of the Treasury designated Rauf as a global terrorist in 2010 under Executive Order 13224 for his role in LeT's financial and logistical networks.

AAP MP Vikramjit Singh Sawhney echoed the call for peace and condemned the attempt to link terrorism with religion. "...We have come to give a message of peace... Terrorism has no religion, but the neighbouring country (Pakistan) is trying to give it a mask of religion. We will never let them succeed..."

Congress MP Anand Sharma also addressed the Indian community in Addis Ababa and spoke about India's response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack. He said the country gave a "befitting reply" under Operation Sindoor and emphasised India's long-standing belief in non-violence.
"It is an ancient culture of centuries that we do not attack any country, but we gave the attackers a befitting reply. Our army fought back strongly this time too; they targeted only the terrorist organisations," Sharma said.
Congress MP Manish Tiwari warned Pakistan of consequences if it continues supporting terrorism. "If they do not stop promoting terrorism, then India's response will be very aggressive," he said.
Earlier, the delegation met Tagesse Chaffo, Speaker of the House of Peoples' Representatives of Ethiopia, and members of the House. They also delivered remarks on Operation Sindoor and India's united stance against terrorism.
The Supriya Sule-led delegation includes Rajiv Pratap Rudy (BJP), Vikramjit Singh Sahney (AAP), Manish Tewari (Congress), Anurag Singh Thakur (BJP), Lavu Sri Krishna Devarayalu (TDP), Anand Sharma (Congress), V Muraleedharan (BJP), and former diplomat Syed Akbaruddin. Seven such all-party delegations are currently participating in outreach programmes in different countries.
The delegations aim to brief international partners on India's strong response to the April 22 terror attack and its broader fight against cross-border terrorism. (ANI)