
Diplomats in Indonesia echo India's urgent call for united global efforts to counter terrorism
The leaders of the National Mandate Party (PAN) of Indonesia on Thursday conveyed to the Indian all-party delegation that they stand with New Delhi and categorically stated that "religion and race cannot serve as a basis for exporting terrorism." The Resident Ambassadors of friendly countries in Indonesia that the Indian all-party delegation met with strongly condemned terrorism in all its forms and echoed the urgent need for united global efforts to counter this menace. The all-party parliamentary delegation, led by JD(U) MP Sanjay Kumar Jha, is here with a mission to convey New Delhi's unequivocal stance about India's fight against terrorism to local political and diplomatic leadership, think tanks and media. The delegation met with National Mandate Party (PAN) leaders including Eddy Soeparno, Vice Chairman of PAN, also Deputy Speaker of Indonesian People's Assembly; Viva Yoga Mauladi, Vice Chairman of the Party and also Deputy Minister For Transmigration Republic of Indonesia, and other leaders and Members of Parliament from PAN.
The Indian parliamentarians shared views on India's stance on zero tolerance for terrorism, a post on X by the Indian Embassy in Jakarta said.
"The PAN party leadership expressed condolences to the victims of the gruesome terror attack in Pahalgam, India. PAN leadership conveyed that they stand with India and categorically stated that religion and race cannot serve as a basis for exporting terrorism," the post on X added. The Members of Parliament joining the meeting from PAN also included Dessy Ratnasari, Farah Putri Nahlia, Okta Kumala Dewi, Dr Drajad Wibowo, Slamet Ariyadi and A Bakrie. The delegation interacted with Resident Ambassadors of friendly countries in Indonesia and shared their insights on India's calibrated and strong response through Operation Sindoor. Terming the interaction as a "substantive dialogue," Jha said in a post on X after the meeting that the Ambassadors "strongly condemned terrorism in all its forms, echoing the urgent need for united global efforts to counter this threat and uphold regional peace and international security." The Indian team also held an insightful interaction with scholars and researchers from Indonesia-based think tanks and academia and conveyed a strong and unified message of zero tolerance for cross-border terrorism to maintain peace and regional stability. The team "sought to jointly explore ways to combat the menace" of terrorism, the Indian Embassy said in another post on X. Earlier on Wednesday, the delegation met Indonesian Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Arief Havas Oegroseno and ASEAN Secretary-General Kao Kim Hourn. The Indian team also interacted with Muhammad Husein Fadlulloh, Vice-Chairperson of the Committee for Inter-Parliamentary Cooperation, and Muhammad Rofiqi, Chairperson of the Indonesia-India Parliamentary Friendship Group, to sensitise them on India's strong commitment against terrorism. Besides Jha, the delegation comprises MPs Aparajita Sarangi (BJP), Abhishek Banerjee (TMC), Brij Lal (BJP), John Brittas (CPI-M), Pradan Baruah (BJP), Hemang Joshi (BJP), former external affairs minister Salman Khurshid and former ambassador of India to France and Bahrain Mohan Kumar. The delegation is one of the seven multi-party delegations India has tasked to visit 33 global capitals to reach out to the international community to emphasize Pakistan's links to terrorism.
Tensions between India and Pakistan escalated after the Pahalgam terror attack, with India carrying out precision strikes on terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir in the early hours of May 7. Pakistan attempted to attack Indian military bases on May 8, 9, and 10. The Indian side responded strongly to the Pakistani actions.
The on-ground hostilities ended with an understanding of stopping the military actions following talks between the directors general of military operations of both sides on May 10.
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Indian Express
35 minutes ago
- Indian Express
Amit Shah says Mamata opposed Op Sindoor to ‘appease' votebank; TMC hits back, calls on Home Minister to quit over ‘failures'
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday accused West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee of opposing Operation Sindoor to 'appease' the Muslim votebank. Hitting back, Banerjee's Trinamool Congress denied Shah's accusation and called on the Home Minister to resign, taking responsibility for 'all the failures' that led to the Pahalgam terrorist attack. The attack in south Kashmir's Pahalgam killed 26 civilians on April 22. As part of India's response to the attack, the armed forces carried out Operation Sindoor on May 7, striking terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and PoK. Addressing BJP workers in Kolkata, Shah linked the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections with national security. He hailed Prime Minister Narendra Modi for 'deciding to carry out Operation Sindoor' and came down heavily on the TMC and Banerjee for 'appeasement', which he also blamed for infiltration from Bangladesh. He alleged widespread corruption in the state and also called the recent unrest in Murshidabad a 'state-sponsored riot'. On 'appeasement', Shah said, 'Didi started giving allowance to Imams, but court stopped it. Bangladeshi Rohingyas are infiltrating. They (the state government) do drama of procession on Ram Navami, but Durga Puja immersion is postponed. They give Ramadan leave for Muslim employees.' He also mentioned the ban on screening of controversial film Kerala Story in West Bengal. 'Most importantly, you (Banerjee) are opposing Operation Sindoor to please the Muslim votebank. Tell me, should this appeasement be allowed to continue?' Shah asked the crowd, urging them to resolve to 'uproot the Mamata Banerjee government' in 2026. He alleged that infiltration from Bangladesh was taking place with Banerjee's blessings. 'Bengali votes determine not only the future of Bengal, but are also linked to the nation's security, because Mamata Banerjee has opened the borders of our country for Bangladeshis. Infiltration is happening with her blessings… Only the BJP government can stop infiltration. If you want to stop infiltration, then you should bring the BJP (to power) in Bengal,' the Union Home Minister said. Operation Sindoor was a theme that Shah kept touching on in his speech. 'This is Narendra Modi's government, the BJP's government. I am saying that Operation Sindoor is not over,' he said. 'A few days ago in Pehalgam, terrorists sent by Pakistan killed our innocent citizens in front of their families after asking their religion. Tell me, should those terrorists sent by Pakistan be punished or not? Did Modiji decide to carry out Operation Sindoor or not? We did surgical strikes and air strikes. Now, with Operation Sindoor, we went 100 km inside (Pakistan) and destroyed their (terrorists') headquarters. Hundreds of terrorists have been killed.' 'This is causing pain in Didi's stomach,' Shah alleged. 'I request the mothers and women of Bengal to explain the value of sindoor to Mamata ji in the 2026 election. Mothers and sisters, do explain what it means to insult sindoor.' Reacting to Shah's statements, the TMC accused him of playing politics in the name of Operation Sindoor at a time when TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee is part of a multi-party delegation of MPs who have been sent to foreign countries to appraise governments abroad regarding the strikes in Pakistan. 'The Home Minister has come to Bengal and acts like a BJP worker, using cheap language against our CM. Would any Opposition leader be allowed to talk like this?… Divisiveness is his politics… He is talking about infiltration, can he say how infiltration took place in Pahalgam? He has failed as a Home Minister and must resign,' said TMC MP Sagarika Ghose. 'The Home minister has to take responsibility for all the failures, and must resign. He has alleged that we have spoken against Operation Sindoor, but we have not said anything against Operation Sindoor…,' said state minister Chandrima Bhattacharya. During his speech in Kolkata, Shah also criticised Banerjee for opposing the Waqf Amendment Act. The violence in Murshidabad district in April, on the issue of the Waqf amendment, was a 'state-sponsored riot', he said. 'The Home Ministry repeatedly asked for the deployment of the BSF (in Murshidabad). But the government here did not want the BSF. Because if the BSF had come, the Hindus would have been saved… I have no hesitation in saying that the way a minister of the Bengal government was involved in this riot, it was a state-sponsored riot,' Shah said. On the issue of development, Shah said the Modi government has done a lot for West Bengal. 'Along with development, Modiji did not forget the culture of Bengal. For many years, the people of Bengal have been demanding that Bengali be recognised as a classical language… Modiji recognised Bengali as a classical language,' he said, asking why Banerjee, despite having served as a Union minister under the UPA government, had not managed to bring this recognition to the language. 'Mamataji did not even have the manners to thank Modiji for this,' Shah said. Targeting the TMC government over post-poll violence in the state, he said, 'Hundreds of BJP workers were killed in Bengal during the elections and after Didi won. Didi, how long will you save them? Your time is up. The BJP will form the government in 2026.' He also criticised the TMC for claiming that the Centre was not releasing funds for the state. He said that the Modi government released Rs 8,27,000 crore to West Bengal in the last 10 years, and that this was four times what the Congress-led UPA government had released. He expressed confidence that the BJP would come to power in the state in 2026, and told party workers, 'There is just a little more left. You have crossed 40% (vote share), and just 4-5% is needed. Our government will be formed in the next election. In 2017, when I was the BJP president, I said that a BJP government would be formed here. That day has come. Go to every voter in Bengal day and night until 2026.' He ended with an appeal to the people of West Bengal: 'With folded hands, I appeal to the people of Bengal to give Modi a chance.'


Indian Express
40 minutes ago
- Indian Express
No water diversion to Bengaluru South district, says MLA Ranganath after protest over link canal
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Time of India
43 minutes ago
- Time of India
LJP(RV) urges Chirag to contest assembly polls from ‘general' seat
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