TMC to stand by Centre over Afghanistan crisis

New Delhi: Trinamool Congress (TMC) on Thursday decided to support the government over its policy on Afghanistan after the all-party meeting called by the Centre to discuss the prevailing situation. Senior Lok Sabha MP Saugata Roy informed the media persons that "There should not be any double-voice, our party decides to stand by the government on the national interest. We shall stand united."

Calling the situation 'vulnerable', the TMC urged the government to stress the evacuation during the meeting. Further, the Trinamool Congress representatives submitted a list of 125 families from the state of West Bengal, who are stuck in Afghanistan to the Minister of External Affairs S Jaishankar.

The Opposition also raised questions on India's future engagement with the Taliban and the external affairs minister informed the representatives across all political parties that India, like the rest of the world, was following a "wait and watch" policy. Jaishankar further described the situation as "critical".

Another senior TMC Rajya Sabha member Sukhendu Sekhar Roy told media persons that opposition parties raised a series of questions on the government's contingency plan to evacuate Indians if they are stranded beyond the August 31 deadline and the exact number of Indians yet to be evacuated. However, the government did not share the exact number yet be evacuated.

The three and a half hours long meeting at the Parliament annexe was attended by 37 leaders from 31 political parties including Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, Mallikarjun Kharge and Anand Sharma from the Congress, Sharad Pawar from NCP, Saugata Roy and Sukhendu Shekhar Roy from TMC, former PM Deve Gowda, Tiruchi Siva and T.R. Baalu from DMK, Nama Nageshwara Rao from TRS. TDP's Jaydev Galla and Binoy Viswam from CPI were among others.

Foreign secretary Harsh Shringla and India's Ambassador to Afghanistan Rudrendra Tandon were also present at the briefing.