New Delhi: Barely days after leading an all-party delegation to the US and other countries to expound India’s stand on cross-border terrorism and the reasons behind Operation Sindoor, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor has left for Russia on another diplomatic outreach programme.
This comes at a time when India and Russia have set an ambitious goal to take up the mutual trade turnover to US$ 100 billion from the existing US$ 38 billion (approximately).
Apart from Russia, Tharoor will also visit the UK. He may also make a stopover in Greece during his two-week mission.
“This trip is aimed towards strengthening India’s relations with long-term and All-weather allies. Tharoor, who has himself served as a diplomat, will be liaising with Indian diplomatic missions in various countries. His visit to Russia assumes significance amid the latest bonhomie between the US and Pakistan,” an official said.
According to sources, the government was keen on sending Tharoor for another round of diplomatic push as the all-party delegation led by him was considered one of the most impactful ones.
During the team’s visit to the US, meetings were held with the vice president J D Vance and deputy secretary of state Christopher Landau. While Prime Minister Narendra Modi met the members of all the seven delegations that toured 33 countries at his residence, 7 Lok Kalyan Marg on Tuesday, officials confirmed that the PM held a separate meeting with Tharoor the next evening.
“They discussed the new assignment for an hour. His exact role was also discussed,” an official said. Modi is said to have told the MPs of the all-party delegations that such visits could be institutionalised in future.
Tharoor is the head of the standing committee of the External Affairs Ministry in Parliament. He chaired a meeting of the panel on June 17.
Tharoor’s latest assignment has got tongues wagging about the Thiruvananthapuram MP’s relations with his party. Many in the Congress have not welcomed Tharoor’s praise for the Prime Minister and the government on certain issues.
