Former cricketer and TMC MP Yusuf Pathan during.
| Photo Credit: PTI

The Trinamool Congress leadership has conveyed to the Union government that party MP Yusuf Pathan or any other party MP will not be part of the multi-party delegations visiting various countries to campaign against Pakistan’s cross-border terrorism. 

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) led government at the Centre has nominated Baharampur MP Yusuf Pathan to be the only MP from the Trinamool Congress to be part of the all party delegation.

Mr. Pathan, a cricketer-turned-politician was elected to Lok Sabha in last year General Elections. He defeated five time Congress MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury from the constituency located in Murshidabad district.

Sources in West Bengal’s ruling party said that the Trinamool Congress leadership was not consulted over the selection of the MP as a part of a delegation visiting other countries and conveying India’s message on war against terror. The party is not happy that several senior MPs of the party including leaders of the party in different capacities from both the houses of Parliament were left out by the Centre.

The Trinamool Congress, however has pledged its “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,” the Trinamool Congress said, clarifying its stand on the country’s foreign policy.

Trinamool Congress general secretary Abhishek Banerjee on Monday (May 19, 2025) reiterated the party’s stand and welcomed the move to send all party delegations. However, he added BJP-led union government cannot decide whom to send as a part of the all party delegation when it comers to non- BJP parties.

“Centre or Union government cannot decide unilaterally who will go from which party. Centre should show good intent and call for a wider deliberations from all parties in the Opposition,” Mr. Banerjee said.

Observing that Trinamool has not politicised the issue, the Trinamool leader said that development should not be viewed as a boycott from Trinamool. “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.“

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had also come out in full support of the Union government after Operation Sindoor and said that she stands “ shoulder to shoulder with the Union government on the war against terror”.

The Trinamool Congress leadership also organised events on May 16 and May 17 across the State in support of the country’s armed forces and paid homage to the soldiers who laid their lives during the recent India Pakistan conflict. BJP Rajya Sabha MP Samik Bhattacharya is the second public representative from West Bengal nominated by the Union government to be part of the international delegation.