The Trinamool Congress on Tuesday nominated its National General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee to represent the party in the parliamentary delegations being sent abroad to reiterate India’s position on Operation Sindoor.

This came a day after the party declined to participate in the process, saying that it had not been consulted before its MP Yusuf Pathan was made part of one of the delegations.

The deadlock was resolved after Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju reached out to Trinamool Congress chief and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, after which she proposed the name of Abhishek Banerjee, The Indian Express reported.

The Trinamool Congress stated that “at a time when the world must unite to confront the growing threat of terrorism, Abhishek Banerjee’s inclusion brings both conviction and clarity to the table”.

The presence of the Diamond Harbour MP “will not only reflect Bengal’s firm stand against terror but also strengthen India’s collective voice on the global stage”, the statement added.

The party also said that it will send a delegation to Jammu and Kashmir’s Srinagar, Poonch and Rajouri districts to express solidarity with civilians affected by recent shelling by Pakistan.

The team will be led by West Bengal minister Manas Ranjan Bhunia, and will include party leaders Derek O’Brien, Sagarika Ghose, Nadimul Haque and Mamata Thakur.

Earlier, the Union government had named Pathan, a first-time Trinamool Congress MP from Baharampur, to one of the seven multi-party teams being sent to several foreign capitals following the Pahalgam terror attack and Operation Sindoor.

With TMC MP Sudip Bandyopadhyay withdrawing citing health problems, Pathan was the Trinamool’s sole representative before the party announced that he too would not be part of the delegation.

Commenting on the decision not to send Pathan, Mamata Banerjee said that the Union government cannot unilaterally decide who would be the representative from the Trinamool Congress.

“If they request the mother party, the party will decide the name,” The Indian Express quoted her as saying, adding that this was customary and the norm.

She also said that the Trinamool stands with the Union government on matters of foreign policy and would be willing to nominate a representative if formally asked.

India’s diplomatic outreach

On Saturday, the government announced the formation of seven delegations that will visit “key partner countries” later in May, including members of the United Nations Security Council.

“The all-party delegations will project India’s national consensus and resolute approach to combating terrorism in all forms and manifestations,” the government said. “They [the delegations] would carry forth to the world the country’s strong message of zero-tolerance against terrorism.”

On May 10, India and Pakistan reached an “understanding” to halt firing following a four-day conflict.

Tensions between New Delhi and Islamabad had escalated on May 7 when the Indian military carried out strikes – codenamed Operation Sindoor – on what it claimed were terrorist camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

The strikes were in response to the terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam, which killed 26 persons on April 22.

The Pakistan Army retaliated to Indian strikes by repeatedly shelling Indian villages along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir. At least 22 Indian civilians and seven defence personnel were killed.

Pakistan has claimed that 40 of its civilians and 11 military personnel were killed.