MEA Discloses ₹13.11 Cr Spend on MP Tours Post Op Sindoor, Withholds Key Details

On 23 May, a month after the deadly Pahalgam terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir, the government of India announced a significant diplomatic outreach. As part of it, seven multi-party delegations were set to visit key global capitals aiming to present India's 'collective resolve' against terrorism.In response to a Right To Information (RTI) query filed by The Quint, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has now confirmed that a total of Rs Thirteen Crore Eleven Lakh Sixteen Thousand Six Hundred Forty Seven (13,11,16,647) was spent on the outreach.The government, however, declined to disclose per-MP expenditure, cost break-ups, or outcome assessments for any of the delegations.Operation Sindoor: Economics Was The Real Force Multiplier The RTI sought granular details:per-MP expendituredelegation-wise cost break-ups (travel, stay, other expenses)spending patterns across delegationsA total of 15 questions were asked.The MEA, however, only gave aggregate figure per delegation refusing to provide per-MP expenditure or give cost break-ups. Based on the MEA document, the delegation-wise expenditure was as follows:Ravi Shankar Prasad delegation (Europe): Rs 3.44 croreBaijayant Panda delegation (West Asia & North Africa): Rs 1.35 croreShashi Tharoor delegation (US): Rs 2.08 croreKanimozhi Karunanidhi delegation (Europe): Rs 1.90 croreShrikant Eknath Shinde delegation (Africa): Rs 1.53 croreSanjay Kumar Jha delegation (East Asia): Rs 1.48 croreSupriya Sule delegation (Africa & West Asia): Rs 1.31 croreThe Ravi Shankar Prasad-led delegation alone accounted for close to 30 percent of the total spend, travelling across France, Italy, Denmark, the UK, Belgium, Germany and EU institutions.Despite the scale of expenditure and geographical spread, the MEA’s RTI reply is silent on outcomes. No assessment is offered on whether the delegations achieved their stated objective: mobilising international political support after Operation Sindoor.Publicly available diplomatic signals suggest a mixed outcome:No joint statements endorsing India’s position were issued by countries visited.No resolutions, parliamentary motions, or formal condemnations aligned with India emerged from host nations.Several countries reiterated calls for restraint and dialogue, maintaining their earlier neutral positions.Engagements largely remained courtesy meetings, photo-ops, and closed-door briefings.Notably, even visits to traditionally friendly regions did not translate into explicit diplomatic backing in international forums.In an earlier deep-dive report, The Quint analysed how effective the Indian government's outreach was based on three parameters—seniority of officials the delegations met, social media impact, and local media coverage. You can read it here.BJP’s Operation Sindoor Debate Strategy: Dodge, Deflect, DominateWhat stands out in the RTI response is not just the cost, but the absence of financial accountability:Were MPs flying economy, business, or special charters?Were hotel costs uniform across delegations?Did longer itineraries justify higher spends?The MEA chose not to disclose any of this.Under the RTI Act, such expenditure — involving public funds and elected representatives — ordinarily falls squarely within the ambit of mandatory disclosure, unless exempted on national security or diplomatic sensitivity grounds. No such exemption has been cited here.All-Party Delegations Take Op Sindoor to the World: What Are the Talking Points?

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MEA Discloses ₹13.11 Cr Spend on MP Tours Post Op Sindoor, Withholds Key Details

The Ravi Shankar Prasad-led delegation alone accounted for close to 30 percent of the total spend.

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Topics: Pahalgam terror attack Operation Sindoor