The leadership of the Trinamool Congress has informed the Union government that neither Yusuf Pathan nor any other party MP will be travelling with multi-party delegations to other nations in order to advocate against cross-border terrorism in Pakistan.
The only member of the Trinamool Congress to be included in the all-party delegation is Yusuf Pathan, the MP for Baharampur, who was nominated by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led government at the centre.
The Trinamool Congress leadership was not consulted, according to sources in the ruling party of West Bengal, when the MP was chosen to travel abroad and represent India in the fight against terrorism. The party is upset that the Centre excluded a number of its top Members of Parliament, including party leaders serving in various capacities in both houses of Parliament.
Mamata Banerjee, the chief minister of West Bengal and the chairperson of the Trinamool Congress, stated on Monday that her party fully supported the nation’s interests, especially when it came to matters of external affairs. However, she also stated that her party was not consulted when choosing the delegation’s participant.
“The matter is not that nobody from Trinamool is participating in the foreign delegation. Let us be very clear. No requests came to us. If the request comes to us, of course, we can consider it. We are totally in favour of the country’s best interests, “ the Chief Minister told journalists.
The name of the party member that the party would send cannot be decided by the Centre, Ms. Banerjee underlined. “It is not their choice but of the party. If they request me [as Trinamool Congress chairperson] to send someone, we will decide the name and will tell them,” she added.
According to the Chief Minister, party matters cannot be decided by the Trinamool’s parliamentary party. “If they request the mother party, the party will decide the name. This is customary and the system. We are totally with the Centre regarding the External Affairs policy. We are fully supporting them and have no hesitation in saying that,” she added.
“It would be incorrect to assume that Trinamool is boycotting or not going as part of the delegation,” the party chairperson stated. The Trinamool, in a statement, also pledged its “support to the Union government to take whatever action was needed to protect our great country”.
Abhishek Banerjee, the general secretary of the Trinamool Congress, praised the decision to send all-party delegations and reaffirmed the party’s position on Monday, May 19, 2025. He did, however, add that when it comes to non-BJP parties, the BJP-led Union government is unable to choose who should be included in the delegation. The Centre cannot decide unilaterally who will go from which party, Mr. Banerjee said, adding: “The Centre should show good intent and call for a wider deliberation from all parties in the Opposition.”
The party leader noted that the Trinamool has not politicised the matter and that the development should not be seen as a Trinamool boycott of the delegates. “It should not be seen as if we have opted out of the delegation. But we want to make it clear that we will decide who will go from our party, not the Union government.“
Following Operation Sindoor, Ms. Banerjee declared her unwavering support for the Union government, saying she was “shoulder to shoulder with the Union government on the war against terror.”
In support of the nation’s military and in remembrance of the soldiers who lost their lives in the recent India-Pakistan conflict, the Trinamool Congress leadership has planned rallies around the State on May 16 and 17. The second West Bengali public official selected by the Union government to join the foreign delegation is Samik Bhattacharya, a member of the BJP Rajya Sabha.
