The Congress party on Saturday took a veiled dig at its own Member of Parliament Shashi Tharoor, following his inclusion in one of the seven multi-party delegations selected by the BJP-led central government.
The delegations have been tasked with visiting various countries to promote the government's narrative surrounding Operation Sindoor, India’s recent strategic campaign against Pakistan.
Shashi Tharoor, who has been seemingly defending the Narendra Modi-led government over Operation Sindoor, even when his party has been demanding answers from the government over several factors, including US mediation in the ceasefire between India and Pakistan, was named as one of the parliamentarians from the Congress who will represent India abroad.
Echoing the party's dissatisfaction with the choice, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said there is a difference between "being in the Congress and being of the Congress."
"'Congress mein hona aur Congress ka hona mein zameen-aasmaan ka antar hai (There is a difference between being in the Congress and of the Congress)... In a democratic system, when individual MPs are sent as part of an official delegation, MPs must seek the concurrence of the party. If the government wants to send him as part of a delegation, the MP should be asking the party," Ramesh said.
"The Congress is like the mighty Ganga, which has many tributaries... Some of them dry up and some get polluted," he said.
The government announced on Saturday that Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, BJP MPs Ravi Shankar Prasad and Baijayant Panda, JD(U) MP Sanjay Jha, DMK's Kanimozhi, NCP (SP) MP Supriya Sule, and Shiv Sena's Shrikant Shinde will head the delegation to key partner countries to increase diplomatic pressure on Pakistan.
However, as soon as the announcement came, Congress expressed displeasure, noting that the government ignored the nominations sent by the party which included former Union Minister Anand Sharma, Deputy Leader of the INC in the Lok Sabha Gaurav Gogoi, and MPs Dr Syed Naseer Hussain and Raja Brar.
Meanwhile, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi was reportedly upset with the government’s selection of four Congress MPs, particularly Tharoor and Tewari. It is learnt that Gandhi spoke to Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju and conveyed his disapproval over the names picked by the Centre.
"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 the names of four MPs for the delegations to be sent abroad to explain India's stance on terrorism from Pakistan. By noon yesterday, May 16th, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha wrote to the Minister of Parliamentary Affairs giving the four names on behalf of the INC,” said Ramesh.
Responding to the controversy, Shashi Tharoor stood by his decision to accept the Centre’s invitation to lead the delegation, saying, “I see no politics in it.” He explained that he was officially invited by the Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister due to his experience in foreign affairs and “immediately agreed.”
He also denied any knowledge about any names being suggested by the Congress for the delegation, saying that it was between the party and the central government.
Tharoor added, “Politics become important when we have a nation. We all are Indians. When the nation is in crisis and the central government seeks the help of a citizen, what other answer would you give?”
Asked about Congress’s unhappiness and the release of party-suggested names, Tharoor said the media should direct those questions to the party. He also confirmed that he informed Congress when he initially received the invitation.
On whether the party’s move to release its own nominations was an insult, Tharoor said, “I cannot be insulted so easily. I know my worth.”
He emphasized, “The Centre sought my service for the nation and I was always ready for it,” adding, “National service is the duty of every citizen.” He also said that when the country is attacked, “all of us speaking in one voice and standing united is good for the nation, according to me.”