Kolkata, June 22: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday cancelled her eight-day trip to China as the scheduled political meetings "at the appropriate level" under the Exchange Programme between the two countries were not confirmed.
Banerjee, who was supposed to leave for China on Friday evening, termed the cancellation "unfortunate", but said without a confirmation of those meetings, her visit to China was pointless.
"Till yesterday, everything was going on well, but unfortunately, the Chinese side could not confirm the political meetings.
"It has now been intimated by our Ambassador in China that the political meetings at the appropriate level under the Exchange Programme could not be confirmed. Therefore, the purpose of my visit with a delegation to China under the Exchange Programme is of no use," she tweeted.
"Although our Ambassador tried his best to make the programme a success, non-confirmation of the political meetings as proposed by the Indian Ambassador to China, at the last moment, has unfortunately compelled us to cancel the visit," she said.
The Chief Minister, however, hoped that the incident would not impact the relationship between the two countries.
"I wish the continuation of the friendship of India and China in the days to come and it should strengthen further in the interest of both the countries."
Banerjee was requested by External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj in March to take part in the Exchange Programme between the Government of India and the International Department of the Communist Party of China.
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Bengaluru, May 18 (PTI): BJP MP Tejasvi Surya on Sunday said he will be part of a multi-party delegation visiting the US and Latin America, to present India’s stand against Pakistan-sponsored terrorism.
Surya will join Congress MP Shashi Tharoor and others on the trip, which runs from May 23 to June 6.
The initiative is part of a major diplomatic outreach by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government, which has constituted seven multi-party delegations to travel to 32 countries and the European Union.
Each team includes retired diplomats who will assist MPs with policy and diplomatic engagement. These delegations aim to present India's firm and unified stance against terrorism and assert its right to respond to cross-border attacks.
The BJP MP said, "I will be joining Dr Shashi Tharoor in the Indian delegation of MPs to the Americas. We will take to the world, India’s message against Pakistan-sponsored terrorism and our demonstrated determination to put an end to it.”
According to Surya, Operation Sindoor signified a precise, measured and morally justified response to Pakistan-Backed Terrorism.
The operation has become a global call for justice and through this visit, MPs cutting across parties will unitedly highlight India's stance in combating terror.
“This initiative reflects the Modi government’s commitment to building a global coalition against terrorism and advancing India’s diplomatic leadership on the world stage,” he noted.
Karnataka is being represented by two Members of Parliament in this international initiative.
Apart from Surya, Mangaluru MP Captain Brijesh Chowta will be part of another delegation heading to the United Kingdom, France and Germany.
Surya expressed his gratitude to Prime Minister Sri Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah, Minister for External Affairs Dr S Jaishankar and Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Kiren Rijiju for giving him the responsibility.