The Trinamool Congress has put its foot down with a firm no to the BJP’s attempt to co-opt one of its Lok Sabha MPs to the global mission of sending India’s message post Operation Sindoor.

The TMC leadership has reportedly informed the Union government that first-time Lok Sabha MP and former cricketer Yusuf Pathan or any other party MP will not be part of the delegation to campaign against Pakistan's cross-border terrorism.

Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee clarified that no request came to the "mother party" for names for the delegation.

"They cannot decide member's name on their own. It is not their choice, the party [Trinamool] will decide. If they request the mother party will decide as is customary. We are totally with the Central government on external affairs policies."

Teams led by seven MPs including the Congress’ Shashi Tharoor and Shiva Sena (UBT)’s Priyanka Chaturvedi were announced on Saturday.

“I don't know who said this, I want to make it clear, whatever decision that Union government takes which aims at combating terrorism, safeguarding the sovereignty of the country, to protect the national interest of the party, we, the TMC will stand with the government shoulder to shoulder,” Trinamool general secretary and Diamond Harbour MP Abhishek Banerjee was quoted as saying by PTI. “But if the delegations are going, the way attempt was made by Pakistan to disrupt peace in India, we condemn it, but the TMC will decide who will go, the Centre cannot decide it unilaterally. It has to be decided by the party leadership.”

Echoing Abhishek, Trinamool’s deputy leader in the Rajya Sabha Sagarika Ghose said, foreign policy is entirely the domain of the government and it must bear full responsibility for our foreign relations.

“The Trinamool Congress stands shoulder to shoulder in total solidarity with our armed forces for effective long term deterrence against Pakistan-based terrorism. The nation, the flag and our national resolve belong to all of India and to every proud citizen,” said Ghose.

Banerjee’s comments came amid speculation over Trinamool’s participation in the seven all-party delegations being dispatched later this month to over 30 countries and the EU, as part of India's diplomatic response to the Pahalgam terror attack and Operation Sindoor.

On Sunday, a senior TMC leader had emphasised that foreign policy falls strictly under the purview of the Union government, which must bear full responsibility for decisions in that domain. The Trinamool Congress leader stated, "We believe that the nation is above all, and we pledged our support to the Union government to take whatever action needed to protect our great nation. Our armed forces have made our nation proud and we are forever indebted to them."

"Foreign policy is entirely within the domain of the Union government. Therefore, let only the Union government decide our foreign policy and take complete responsibility for it," the leader added.

Meanwhile, TMC MP Sudip Bandyopadhyay has also confirmed he will not be able to join the delegation due to health reasons. “I received a call from Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju and the External Affairs Ministry, and was asked to go to the US but I informed them that I would not be able to go due to health reasons,” Bandyopadhyay was quoted as saying by PTI.

According to the Parliamentary Affairs Ministry, the delegations aim to project “India’s national consensus and resolute approach to combating terrorism in all forms and manifestations.” The ministry stated that leaders from across the political spectrum have been carefully chosen, and each group includes both seasoned politicians and experienced diplomats.

Prominent names leading the delegations include BJP MPs Ravi Shankar Prasad and Baijayant Panda, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, JD(U)’s Sanjay Kumar Jha, DMK’s Kanimozhi, NCP-SP’s Supriya Sule, and Shiv Sena’s Shrikant Shinde.

The outreach effort will see 51 political figures—31 from the NDA and 20 from other parties—visit countries across continents, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia, Japan, and Russia. Each delegation is diverse and includes at least one Muslim representative among politicians or diplomats.

Despite tensions over selection, the Congress party has agreed to participate. While only one of its four suggested names—Anand Sharma—was included, the party confirmed that all its representatives would contribute to the mission. Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh, however, criticised the Modi government, calling the exclusion of senior Congress leaders "cheap political games."

Former ministers and diplomats such as Ghulam Nabi Azad, M J Akbar, V Muraleedharan, and Syed Akbaruddin are also part of the delegations.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju summarised the initiative on X, stating: “One mission. One message. One Bharat. Seven All-Party Delegations will soon engage key nations under #OperationSindoor, reflecting our collective resolve against terrorism.”