Washington, DC [US], June 6 (ANI): BJP MP Tejasvi Surya, who is a member of all-party delegation led by Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, said that they had a 'fantastic meeting' with US Vice President JD Vance. He said that Vance expressed complete support for Government of India in its fight against terrorism.

Speaking to ANI, Tejasvi Surya said that Vance was clear that India exercised its right to deter further terrorist attacks from Pahalgam. He stated that Vance said that he was a witness to the outrage and anger among people of India regarding the Pahalgam attack as he was in India when the terrorist attack took place.

When asked about delegation's meeting with Vance, he stated, 'We had a fantastic meeting with the Vice President of the United States of America. Vice President Vance was unequivocal, categorical in his support for India's stance against terrorism. He was very clear that India exercised its right to deter further terrorist attacks from Pakistan and sympathised with the victims of terror attack in Pahalgam.'

'He mentioned that he himself was in India when the attack took place, and he also was a witness to the outrage and anger amongst the Indian people to this brutal and cruel terrorist attack. He also expressed complete support to the government of India in its fight against terror. He was also greatly appreciative of the responsible restraint that India showed even after repeated provocations by Pakistan and India very sternly dealing with the issue both militarily as well as diplomatically,' he added.

Surya stated that JD Vance expressed enthusiasm regarding trade between India and the US. According to him, Vance during the meeting multiple times mentioned about the personal bond he shares with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and how India is undergoing a massive transformation towards prosperity and growth and progress.

Tejasvi Surya said, 'He also went ahead and expressed the enthusiasm that he and the government of the United States share, in so far as trade with India is concerned, partnership with India is concerned, and how he saw first hand the great vitality and strength in India and how India and the United States are natural partners in this journey in the coming years. I would say that the meetings that we have had yesterday and today with various senior senators and Congressmen.'

'And today the meeting with vice president was actually the cherry on the top of the cake. It was a very good meeting which has further strengthened the great relationship between our two great nations. The vice president also multiple times through the conversation reminded all of us the personal bond that he shares with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and how under Prime Minister Modi's leadership, India is undergoing a massive transformation towards prosperity and growth and progress,' he added.

JD Vance and his family were on a four-day official visit to India in April when the attack took place in Pahalgam. During the visit, PM Modi hosted Vance and his family at his Lok Kalyan Marg residence in New Delhi. Vance's three children - Vivek, Ewan and Mirabel Rose shared several playful moments with the Prime Minister.

The all-party delegation, led by Shashi Tharoor, held a meeting with JD Vance in Washington, DC, on Thursday (local time). Indian Embassy in the US stated that the discussion between two sides focused on strengthening the India-US partnership, including cooperation in counter-terrorism.

'The All Party Parliamentary Delegation led by Dr. @ShashiTharoor called on Vice President JD Vance @VP this morning. The conversation focused on strengthening the India - US partnership including cooperation in counter-terrorism domain,' Indian Embassy in the US posted on X.

Shashi Tharoor shared the meeting details in a post on X. He noted that deliberations took place on various important issues, including counter-terrorism and enhancing technological cooperation between the two countries.

In a post on X, he wrote, 'Excellent meeting with Vice President @JDVance today in Washington D.C. with our delegation. We had comprehensive discussions covering a wide array of critical issues, from counter-terrorism efforts to enhancing technological cooperation. A truly constructive & productive exchange for strengthening India-US strategic partnership, with a great meeting of minds. #IndiaUS #Diplomacy #StrategicPartnership.'

The all-party delegation, led by Tharoor, includes Shambhavi Chaudhary (Lok Janshakti Party), Sarfaraz Ahmed (Jharkhand Mukti Morcha), GM Harish Balayogi (Telugu Desam Party), Shashank Mani Tripathi, Tejasvi Surya (BJP), and Bhubaneswar Kalita (all from the BJP), Mallikarjun Devda (Shiv Sena), Shiv Sena MP Milind Deora and former Indian Ambassador to the US Taranjit Singh Sandhu

According to a statement by the Indian Embassy in the US on June 4, the all-party delegation met the leadership of the House Congressional Caucus on India and Indian Americans in the 119th Congress, including the co-chairs Rep. Ro Khanna and Rep. Rich McCormick and the vice co-chairs Rep. Andy Barr and Rep. Marc Veasey.

The delegation also met the leadership of the House Foreign Affairs Committee (HFAC) in a special high-power meeting hosted by Committee Chairman RepresentativeBrian Mast and Ranking Member Representative Gregory Meeks.

Also, in attendance were HFAC's South and Central Asia Subcommittee Chairman Representative Bill Huizenga, Ranking Member Representative Sydney Kamlager-Dove, and HFAC's East Asia and Pacific Subcommittee Chairperson Representative Young Kim and Ranking Member Representative Ami Bera.

According to the statement, members of the delegation also met with Representative Lisa McClain, Chairwoman of the House Republican Conference for the 119th Congress- the highest-ranking woman in Congress and the delegation had also interacted with the members of the Indian diaspora. The delegation also interacted with Indian diaspora in the US.

The purpose of the visit is to brief key US stakeholders on Operation Sindoor, India's diplomatic effort launched to combat terrorism and disinformation following the recent terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam, which claimed the lives of 26 people and injured several others. (ANI