Yusuf Pathan Out, Abhishek Banerjee In: Trinamool Switch In India Outreach

Trinamool MP Abhishek Banerjee will be part of the parliamentary delegation that will carry India's anti-terror message to the world, said sources amid a row over the central government picking MPs for the outreach initiative without consulting the party's leadership.

As part of the global outreach programme, seven MPs from across parties will lead a delegation each to countries across the globe, weeks after India responded firmly to the Pahalgam attack with Operation Sindoor.

Mr Banerjee is the nephew of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, which makes him the de facto second-in-command in the Trinamool Congress, which has been in power in West Bengal since 2011. He will likely replace former cricketer Yusuf Pathan, an MP from the party who was made part of the delegation to be led by the JDU's Sanjay Kumar Jha.

The Trinamool had objected to the centre choosing a party representative for the outreach programme without consulting its leadership. A furious Ms Banerjee had threatened to pull out from the delegation yesterday, but said she would consider it if the government reached out to her.

Sources suggest Union Minister Kiren Rijiju dialled Ms Banerjee to pacify her and seek her suggestion for a representative from the Trinamool. During their conversation, the Chief Minister recommended her nephew's name and told Mr Rijiju that they should have consulted with her before deciding on the representative, they said.

Mr Jha's delegation also comprises BJP's Aparajita Sarangi, Brij Lal, John Brittas, Prasan Baruah and Hemang Joshi. The delegation is likely to leave on May 22 and will visit five nations - Indonesia, Malaysia, South Korea, Japan, and Singapore.

Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri will brief the delegation today.

Abhishek Banerjee, an MP from Diamond Harbour near Kolkata, had yesterday opposed the "unilateral decision" by the government to choose a representative from the party. Only the party can decide who to assign to the delegation, he asserted.

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