“Well, we are on a five-country visit. We’ve done three countries already, Guyana, Panama, and Colombia. And we are now in Brazil, though Sunday, it’s now 1 am Sunday as we’ve landed, is actually a day of rest, which I think the team has earned up for a fairly hectic program since we left. We then have meetings in Brazil all day, and then we proceed to Washington, which will be the final leg of our visit,” Tharoor said.

“Feedback has been very positive in both Guyana and Panama, which are Security Council members, it was tremendous understanding and support for our mission and expressions of solidarity for our fight against terror,” the Congress leader said.

Tharoor recounted how the Colombian government later showed support after the delegation explained the events from the Indian side, i.e. the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack and subsequent Operation Sindoor.

“In Colombia, there had unfortunately been a statement issued during Operation Sindoor, which actually condoled the Pakistani victims rather than saying anything about India. So we had that rectified, we met with the government and I’m very pleased to say that they have withdrawn that statement and instead they have issued something very positive and supportive, both from the government and even more strongly from the parliament where we met both the equivalent of the Lok Sabha speaker and the chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, Second Committee as they call it. So on the whole, we’ve had some very good results,” he said. Tharoor appreciated the efforts of all the members of his team, saying, “My team has been fully participating in everything. We are all equal participants in this venture.”

Tharoor said that Brazil is an important country of strategic importance, being a part of BRICS.

“And here in Brazil, we’re looking forward to having some very solid, constructive discussions. Brazil is a major power in the region. It’s a BRICS partner of ours. We’ve elevated our relationship to a strategic partnership going back to 2006. So it’s a country that really matters to us. And though they’re not currently on the Security Council, we felt keeping them fully abreast of our position and continuing to keep the dialogue channels open is very important,” Tharoor said.

In the context of ‘Operation Sindoor’ and India’s continued fight against cross-border terrorism, seven All-Party Delegations are set to visit key partner countries, including members of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC). This visit is scheduled for later this month.

In a post on the social media platform X, Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh on Saturday said that Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi wrote to the Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Kiren Rijiju and submitted four names on behalf of the grand old party. The list did not include the name of Tharoor. 

Ramesh wrote in the post, “Yesterday morning, the Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Kiren Rijiju spoke with the Congress President and the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha. The INC was asked to submit names of 4 MPs for the delegations to be sent abroad to explain India’s stance on terrorism from Pakistan.”

“By noon yesterday May 16th, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha wrote to the Minister of Parliamentary Affairs…,” he added. 

As per Jairam Ramesh, the following names were submitted by Congress:

1- Anand Sharma, former Union Cabinet Minister 2- Gaurav Gogoi, Deputy Leader, INC LS 3- ⁠Dr. Syed Naseer Hussain, MP, RS 4- Raja Brar, MP, LS

Yesterday morning, the Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Kiren Rijiju spoke with the Congress President and the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha. The INC was asked to submit names of 4 MPs for the delegations to be sent abroad to explain India’s stance on terrorism from… — Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) May 17, 2025

The Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs’ statement read, “The All-Party Delegations will project India’s national consensus and resolute approach to combating terrorism in all forms and manifestations. They would carry forth to the world the country’s strong message of zero-tolerance against terrorism.”

MPs from different parties will be part of each delegation. The following MPs will lead the seven delegations:

1- Shashi Tharoor, Congress 2- Ravi Shankar Prasad, BJP 3- Sanjay Kumar Jha, JDU 4- Baijayant Panda, BJP 5- Kanimozhi Karunanidhi, DMK 6- Supriya Sule, NCP 7- Shrikant Eknath Shinde, Shiv Sena

In a post on X, Tharoor posted that he is honoured by the invitation to lead an All-Party Delegation to five key capitals

“I am honoured by the invitation of the government of India to lead an all-party delegation to five key capitals, to present our nation’s point of view on recent events,” he said. 

He added that when national interest is involved, and his services are required, he will “not be found wanting”. 

pic.twitter.com/b4Qjd12cN9 — Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) May 17, 2025

The Indian Armed Forces launched Operation Sindoor to avenge the Pahalgam terror attack. 

The Operation hit terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK); altogether, nine sites were targeted. 

The Ministry of Defence had clarified that India’s actions were ‘focused, measured and non-escalatory.’

The Congress leader in a post on the social media platform X wrote, “Despite delays at the dysfunctional Delhi airport, managed to land in Thiruvananthapuram in time to receive Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his arrival in my constituency.”

“Looking forward to his officially commissioning Vizhinjam port, a project I have been proud to have been involved with since its inception,” he added. Tharoor also shared his pictures with PM Modi at the airport. 

Despite delays at the dysfunctional Delhi airport, managed to land in Thiruvananthapuram in time to receive Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his arrival in my constituency. Looking forward to his officially commissioning Vizhinjam port, a project I have been proud to have been… pic.twitter.com/OoGHeS0Gbe — Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) May 1, 2025

Earlier, in April, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah had also shared a picture of himself at the Delhi Airport and slammed it for delays. 

He had written on X, “Delhi airport is a bl** sh** show (excuse my French but I’m in no mood to be polite). 3 hours in the air after we left Jammu we get diverted to Jaipur and so here I am at 1 in the morning on the steps of the plane getting some fresh air. I’ve no idea what time we will leave from here.” Later, CM Abdullah updated that he reached Delhi after 3 am on that day.

The Airport had been facing flight delays due to weather conditions, and a runway was closed for construction work.

Strong winds, heavy rainfall, and thunderstorms led to flight delays and disruptions in Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR) on Friday.