Tharoor picked to lead all-party delegation despite name missing from Congress list

NEW DELHI: A war of words has broken out between the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the main Opposition party Congress over the choice of Congress MP Shashi Tharoor to head one of the key all-party delegations which the Modi government plans to dispatch to different countries to articulate India’s views on terrorism and expose Pakistan-sponsored terrorism. The BJP-Congress tussle broke out as Tharoor was picked up as delegation leader despite his name not featuring in his own party’s shortlist of nominees for sending abroad. An upset Congress claimed that its proposed names were ignored by the government. According to Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh, Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju had requested the Congress on the morning of May 16 to suggest four names for inclusion in the delegations being sent abroad and by noon the same day, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, responded with four names on behalf of the Congress, and Shashi Tharoor was not one of them.

The all-party delegations will convey India’s position of zero tolerance against terrorism following Operation Sindoor that was launched to target terror-training centres on Pakistani soil. Opposition leaders Shashi Tharoor and Kanimozhi will join members of the ruling alliance, including Ravi Shankar Prasad and Sanjay Jha, in leading the seven all-party delegations. On the inclusion of Tharoor’s name who was not nominated by the Congress, Jairam Ramesh said on Saturday that this is “dishonest on the government’s part.” The Congress had suggested the names of former Union Minister Anand Sharma, the party’s Deputy Leader in the Lok Sabha, Gaurav Gogoi, and MPs Syed Naseer Hussain and Amarinder Singh Raja Warring to be the part of all party delegation to travel abroad. Tharoor, who also heads the Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs, clarified that he would take part in the exercise in the national interest. “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. When national interest is involved, and my services are required, I will not be found wanting. Jai Hind!” he posted on X.

Earlier, the Parliamentary Affairs Ministry announced that Tharoor, the four-time MP from Thiruvananthapuram, would head the all-party delegation. Other members include BJP leaders Ravi Shankar Prasad and Baijayant Panda, Janata Dal (United) MP Sanjay Kumar Jha, DMK’s Kanimozhi Karunanidhi, NCP (Sharad Pawar faction) leader Supriya Sule, and Shiv Sena (Shinde faction) MP Shrikant Shinde. Calling the suggestions by the Congress “questionable”, the BJP’s spokesperson Amit Malviya said, in a post on X, that the opposition party’s ``choices to represent India at diplomatic meetings are not just intriguing - they are deeply questionable.’’ As part of the diplomatic outreach planned by the Modi government, the seven-member delegation will embark on a 10-day diplomatic mission starting May 23, visiting key capitals such as Washington, London, Abu Dhabi, Pretoria, and Tokyo. Each team is expected to present India’s “zero tolerance” policy on terrorism and highlight recent developments under Operation Sindoor, the military operation launched in response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack in Kashmir that left 26 civilians dead. Tharoor’s choice has frayed intra-party equations in the Congress as his recent statements supporting the government’s handling of India’s military response have been praised by the BJP but were at odds with the official line of the Congress which questioned lack of transparency over the ceasefire agreement and the role of the U.S. in brokering it. However, the BJP has not hidden its liking for Tharoor and used the occasion to attack the Congress. “No one can deny Shashi Tharoor’s eloquence, his long experience as a United Nations official, and his deep insights on matters of foreign policy. So why has the Congress Party - and Rahul Gandhi in particular - chosen not to nominate him for the multi-party delegations being sent abroad to explain India’s position on key issues?” asked BJP spokesperson Amit Malviya. “Is it insecurity? Jealousy? Or simply intolerance of anyone who outshines the ‘high command’?”