"We are not at the doors with a begging bowl": BJP MP Samik Bhattacharya in London
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Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Samik Bhattacharya on Monday asserted that India is not seeking favours from the world but issuing a clear warning against the rising threat of terrorism.Speaking at an event in London, he said, "We are not at the doors of anyone with a begging bowl... We are here to alert all that what is happening with us will happen to you tomorrow."Bhattacharya, who is part of a multi-party Indian parliamentary delegation currently visiting the UK, took aim at the double standards of certain global powers. "Countries change their stance to sell ammunition; they preach to us about dialogues. They say everything can be sorted out by interaction," he said.Highlighting the growing international recognition of Prime Minister Narendra Modi 's leadership, Bhattacharya said, "You people are raising the slogan of 'Modi Modi' because PM Modi has become the face of a leader who is fighting against terrorism."The visit to London is part of a larger diplomatic outreach effort launched by the Modi government following Operation Sindoor--a military response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack in which 26 people were killed by Pakistan-sponsored terrorists. The operation, launched on May 7, targeted terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir, resulting in the killing of over 100 terrorists linked to groups like Jaish-e-Mohammed, Lashkar-e-Taiba, and Hizbul Mujahideen.The Indian delegation, led by senior BJP leader and former Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad , includes members from across political parties--Daggubati Purandeswari (TDP), Priyanka Chaturvedi (Shiv Sena-UBT), Ghulam Ali Khatana (BJP), Dr. Amar Singh (Congress), Samik Bhattacharya (BJP), former Union Minister MJ Akbar, and Ambassador Pankaj Saran. The team arrived in London on Saturday after visits to France, Italy, and Denmark.As part of their London schedule, the delegation paid floral tributes at the statue of Rabindranath Tagore at the Tagore Centre. Speaking to on the occasion, Bhattacharya said, "Rabindranath was relevant during his lifetime and so is he today. He shall also remain relevant in the future."Emphasising the intent behind India's global outreach, Bhattacharya added, "Some nations in the world sometimes change their stand to either sell their weapons, establish their hegemony or interfere with the market, and take a stand which is against humanity."The delegation's visit is a part of seven such international tours initiated by the government to highlight India's firm message of zero tolerance for terrorism and to expose Pakistan's terror links on the global stage.
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