Ayodhya (Uttar Pradesh) [India], May 21 (ANI): As two groups of all-party delegation left to visit key partner countries to highlight India's firm stand against terrorism, Union Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh on Wednesday stated that this outreach is an important step to clear any misconceptions on how a state-sponsored terrorism is wreaking havoc.

'This outreach is a very good and important step. Any misconceptions around what is happening in this part of the world, and how state-sponsored terrorism is wreaking havoc, need to be cleared. Other countries' governments and their civilians need to be made aware of this...' Singh told reporters.

Shiv Sena MP Milind Deora expressed gratitude to the Central government and party leadership for choosing him to be a part of the all-party delegation.

Deora, who is part of delegation led by Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, stated that the group would be visiting Americas and the aim of the visit is to ensure that people understand India's new doctrine against terrorism - it will respond in a measured way and decisively if provoked again.

The Shiv Sena MP said, 'Operation Sindoor was a military response to a cowardly terror attack once again by the terrorist state called Pakistan. In continuation of the military response there is also a diplomatic response and I am very grateful to the PM of India, to the Foreign Minister, to my party's chief Eknath Shinde who has nominated me. I am also proud that my party is one of the few parties despite being a smaller party, where we have two MPs - Dr Shrikant Shinde will be leading a delegation and I will be accompanying Dr Shashi Tharoor to the Americas. We will be travelling to five countries in South America, Latin America, Central America and North America. We will be ending the visit in the US.'

'The US and India share a long-term strategic partnership over the last several years. It's important that across these delegations, the MPs, other leaders, serving diplomats, former diplomats who are a part of these delegations, the aim is to simply not just expose Pakistan which the whole world knows, that Pakistan is a terror state, it is not new to the world. But to ensure that people understand India's resolve going forward, that there is a new doctrine where if we are provoked again, we will respond in a measured way but we will respond decisively. That message has to go out,' he added.

The Shiv Sena MP further said, 'The second message that has to go out is that India fighting terrorism against a rogue state like Pakistan which had links to 9/11, which harboured Osama Bin Laden, other terrorists in some way is benefitting the world. The third, most significant message coming out of these visits is that India and its political parties are all speaking in one voice. I congratulate the government for selecting MPs from north, south, east, west in India, cutting across all parties, all communities who will speak unitedly in one voice. That is the significance of this visit, of the message that we seek to deliver to the world.'

Meanwhile, Group 4 of the all-party delegations led by Shiv Sena MP Shrikant Shinde is set to leave for the UAE as part of a visit to key partner countries to highlight India's firm stand against terrorism and Pakistan's role in promoting it.

Earlier today, Group 3 of all-party delegation, led by JDU National Working President Sanjay Kumar Jha left for their visit to Japan, Indonesia, Malaysia, Republic of Korea, and Singapore. (ANI)