‘Experiment to divert attention’, says Sanjay Raut on India’s global outreach against Pakistan

New Delhi, May 21 (IANS) Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut on Wednesday dubbed India’s diplomatic outreach to the global community an ‘experiment’ and ‘diversionary tactic’ by the Centre to divert attention and also to save itself from facing tough questions on the Pahalgam lapses, leading to killing of 25 tourists and one local civilian. 

The contentious remarks by Shiv Sena (UBT) leader, in light of the nation's united fight against terror, are set to spark major political uproar.

Sanjay Raut told IANS that the all-party delegation to 33 nations across the world won’t yield anything substantial because it lacks ‘focus and purpose’.

Training guns at the Centre, he said that the government keeps exercising such experiments, and this was being done to deflect attention from the real issues.

Questioning the all-party delegation's visit to African and European countries, he asked what purpose they would serve in addressing the strained ties between the two countries and what impact their assertions would have in calling out Pakistan for safe terror havens operating from its soil.

“The delegation should go to neighbouring nations like Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and even China, who hold sway in the region and whose opinions will matter in maintaining peace in the sub-continent,” he said.

Sanjay Raut also advocated sending an Indian diplomatic outreach team to adversary nations like China and Turkey, to call out Pakistan’s bluff, to expose its nurturing and shielding of terrorists and also build pressure on these nations to sever ties with the rogue nation.

Notably, India has mounted global diplomatic campaign against Pakistan after Operation Sindoor, under which seven teams comprising of more than 50 Parliamentarians, seasoned diplomats and experts will travel to more than 30 countries to share dossiers and documented proof of Pakistan’s role and direct involvement in the ghastly terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam on April 22.

The SS (UBT) leader also objected to the Centre’s 'handpicking' of lawmakers and Parliamentarians from other parties for its global outreach program and asked, “Who are they to decide representatives from other parties?”

He supported TMC supremo’s decision to replace newbie MP Yousuf Pathan with experienced Abhishek Banerjee as the party’s representative in the all-party delegation.

Speaking about his party’s boycott call for India’s global outreach on terror, he said that the party agreed to support in the ‘national interest’ and party MP Priyanka Chaturvedi joined the team, after Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju followed the protocol and dialled party chief Uddhav Thackeray.

The SS (UBT) MP, however, remained unsparing in attacking the Modi government as he held it responsible for India’s ‘failed’ foreign policy.

“If the Prime Minister and his ministers can’t build a global perception for a failed nation like Pakistan, what could the MPs achieve in a span of just 10-15 days?” he questioned.

Earlier in the day, senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh spoke on similar lines and described India’s global outreach against Pakistan as another attempt to divert attention from real issues.