New Delhi [India], May 19 (ANI): Congress General Secretary in charge of Communications, Jairam Ramesh, on Monday criticised the Central government, describing the decision to send a delegation to key partner countries as a 'damage control' effort.

Ramesh claimed that India's 'Vishwa Guru' image has taken a hit following tensions with Pakistan.

He further argued that the delegation's visit to key partner countries to highlight India's ongoing fight against cross-border terrorism and Operation Sindoor would have been more appropriate if it had come after an all-party meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

'...Congress party believes that an all-party meeting should have been done before this and PM Modi should have chaired the meeting...Our second demand was to hold a special session of the Parliament to discuss the issues of the relationship between China and Pakistan,' Ramesh told ANI.

'If this delegation had gone after this, then it would have made a lot more sense...You are sending 7 delegations now, but what is the difference that it is going to make? Our narrative has already gotten worse. Pakistan and India are again being compared...The narrative of 'Vishwa Guru' has also gotten worse,' the Congress Rajya Sabha MP added.

Ramesh further criticised the government for omitting three of the names recommended by the party for the all-party delegation.

'This delegation is going for damage control. We have been saying that we need to stay united, and we are standing with our armed forces like a rock. We have said that Operation Sindoor is a historic operation, but PM Modi does not speak with the LoP or the Congress President. They ask us to give names. When we gave 4 names, they picked only one of them and added names on their own. What type of politics is this?' he added.

The all-party delegations will project India's national consensus and resolute approach to combating terrorism in all forms and manifestations. They would carry forth to the world the country's strong message of zero tolerance against terrorism.

According to Congress, the party had submitted four names to the Minister of Parliamentary Affairs by May 16, but the final list released late on May 17 included only one of the suggested names.

The list includes MPs from multiple parties, divided into seven groups of 8-9 members. A leader has been assigned for each group, who will lead the delegation at a global level.

This came after India's decisive military response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack. Operation Sindoor, launched on May 7, targeted terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir, leading to the death of over 100 terrorists affiliated with terror outfits like the Jaish-e-Mohammed, Lashkar-e-Taiba and Hizbul Mujahideen.

After the attack, Pakistan retaliated with cross-border shelling across the Line of Control and Jammu and Kashmir as well as attempted drone attacks along the border regions, following which India launched a coordinated attack and damaged radar infrastructure, communication centres and airfields across 11 airbases in Pakistan. (ANI)