Kolkata, May 20 (IANS) A day after withdrawing its lawmaker Yusuf Pathan from the multi-party delegations on Operation Sindoor over “lack of consultation”, the Trinamool Congress on Tuesday announced party General Secretary and MP Abhishek Banerjee as its nominee.

“We’re delighted to share that our Chairperson Smt @MamataOfficial has nominated Nat’l GS Shri @abhishekaitc to represent Trinamool Congress in the all-party delegation for India’s global outreach against terrorism,” the party said in a statement.

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

“His presence will not only reflect Bengal’s firm stand against terror but also strengthen India’s collective voice on the global stage,” the statement read.

Initially, cricketer-turned-politician Pathan was nominated as the sole representative of the Trinamool in the multi-party delegations.

However, the party leadership, especially Chief Minister, Mamata Banerjee, took a strong objection to the selection and claimed that the Union government announced Pathan’s name after contacting him personally and without informing the party leadership and the Chief Minister beforehand.

Both the Chief Minister and Abhishek Banerjee, on Monday, questioned how the Union government and the BJP could unilaterally decide who would represent Trinamool in the multi-party delegations. Thereafter, Pathan’s name was withdrawn, and finally, on Tuesday, Abhishek Banerjee’s name was nominated for the panel.

The Trinamool’s decision to withdraw Pathan’s name from the multi-party delegation attracted scathing criticism. BJP’s Information Technology Cell Chief and the party’s central observer for West Bengal, Amit Malviya, said that Mamata Banerjee’s decision to force Pathan to withdraw from the multi-party delegation sent a subliminal message that she and her party were unwilling to speak out against Pakistan-sponsored terrorism.

“Mamata Banerjee represents the worst kind of politics, and unfortunately, West Bengal is bearing the brunt of it. Let us not forget that a hostile demographic shift is staring the state in the face,” Malviya said.

Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, said that the decision to withdraw the name of Pathan proved that Mamata Banerjee’s leadership represented a dangerous brand of politics that puts regional and personal interests above the nation, and her refusal to take a firm stand against terrorism only emboldens anti-national elements.

–IANS

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