Mumbai, May 21 (IANS) Shiv Sena-UBT leader Ambadas Danve has sparked a fresh political row by stating that the all-party delegations were “not needed” for India’s global outreach on cross-border terrorism.
The remarks by Danve, who is the Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Council, come after the Centre nominated his party’s Rajya Sabha member Priyanka Chaturvedi to be part of the all-party delegations visiting multiple countries to project India’s firm stance on terrorism and highlight Pakistan’s role in sponsoring it.
Talking to IANS, Danve said: “The safety of the country is our highest priority, and it should remain so. When national security is concerned, political opinions should take a back seat. We can always discuss the government’s shortcomings in internal forums. But when a delegation goes abroad to present India’s position, I believe there is no need for all-party delegations. Shiv Sena-UBT is a patriotic party. The government has chosen to include Shiv Sena-UBT, and we are participating.”
Danve further asserted that Shiv Sena-UBT’s stance during times of war has always been firm.
“Our position is clear: there should be no ceasefire. Pakistan must be dealt with decisively. It’s not unusual that Shiv Sena-UBT is part of this delegation—it aligns with our firm nationalistic approach,” he said.
He also confirmed that the party had received official communication from the Centre regarding participation.
“As far as I know, the Parliamentary Affairs Minister contacted Uddhav ji (party chief Uddhav Thackeray), and we fully support the move. There is a standard procedure in place, and it was followed,” Danve added.
Danve also supported Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge’s recent criticism of the government’s approach to cross-border tensions.
At a rally in Karnataka, Kharge indirectly targeted “Operation Sindoor,” describing the government’s military actions as “chutput” (small) wars and accused it of failing to prevent the terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam, which claimed 26 lives.
Reacting to Kharge’s remark, Danve said: “Yes, it was a small war, nothing major. Ukraine, Russia, and Israel have been in prolonged conflicts. Compared to that, this was a short-lived war. It doesn’t help to overplay it.”
Highlighting the Indian Army’s efforts, Danve added: “We targeted terrorist bases using drones. We did not attack civilians or Pakistan’s infrastructure. Our objective was clear – eliminate terrorists. This is the valour of the Indian Army. There were no civilian casualties. It was a three-day operation that the Army handled well. But we cannot call it a big war; it was a small one. We should have given a befitting reply so that Pakistan would not dare to do such things in the future.”
–IANS
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