Mamata with Abhishek Banerjee
Credit: PTI Photo
New Delhi: Trinamool Congress on Tuesday nominated its General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee to be part of multi-party delegations being sent to various countries to campaign against Pakistan sponsored cross-border terrorism, as the Modi government blinked following the party insisting that it will choose its nominee and not the dispensation.
The announcement came after the government reached out to Trinamool supremo and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who vociferously protested against the government unilaterally naming party MP Yusuf Pathan to be part of one of the seven delegations. The party on Monday said neither Pathan nor any MP will join the delegation and that if the government approaches it, they would decide on a name.
The government's decision to accommodate Trinamool came even as it did not entertain Congress' recommendations for the delegation. The government had rejected three of the four names suggested by the Congress leadership while adding four other names.
In a post on 'X', Trinamool Congress said its Chairperson Mamata has nominated Abhishek to represent Trinamool in the all-party delegation for India’s global outreach against terrorism.
“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. His presence will not only reflect Bengal’s firm stand against terror but also strengthen India’s collective voice on the global stage,” it said.
Trinamool sources said Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju sought her suggestion for a representative from Trinamool Congress. They claimed Rijiju called Mamata to “pacify” her and seek her suggestions for a representative to the multi-party delegations from her party.
On Monday, Mamata said, “They cannot decide the member's name on their own. It is not their choice, but of the party. If they request me to send someone, we will decide and let them know.”
The government had initially reached out to Trinamool Lok Sabha floor leader Sudip Bandyopadhyay to be part of the delegation but he informed that he could not join due to health reasons. After this, the government went ahead naming Pathan in the delegation without consulting the leadership.
On Monday, Abhishek said, “How can the Union Government decide on the representative of Trinamool? They should have held discussions with the opposition to decide which representative a party will send. How can the BJP decide which representative Trinamool will send?”
Raising the decibel levels, the party had earlier posted on 'X', “We believe that the nation is above all and we pledged our support to the Union government to take whatever action was needed to protect our great country. Our Armed Forces have made our nation proud and we are forever indebted to them. Foreign policy is entirely within the domain of the Union government. Therefore, let only the Union government decide our foreign policy and take complete responsibility for it.”