New Delhi: The Congress has said that Shashi Tharoor accepted the Centre’s proposal to lead a multi-party delegation to various countries to convey India’s position on cross-border terrorism without the concurrence of the party leadership, further deepening its rift with the Thiruvananthapuram MP.
The party’s general secretary for communications Jairam Ramesh told media persons Saturday that it was “dishonest” on the part of the government to “unilaterally” announce the names of those who would lead the delegations, despite having asked the party to recommend its choices.
“There is a difference between those who are in the Congress and those who are of the Congress,” Ramesh said, responding to questions on Tharoor’s post on X that he was “honoured” by the invitation of the government to lead a delegation to five world capitals.
Ramesh added, “Such multi-party delegations are a normal practice in a democratic set-up. Jawaharlal Nehru had made C. Rajagopalachari a part of one such delegation in 1963. Indira Gandhi included Jayaprakash Narayan in a delegation. P.V. Narasimha Rao got Atal Bihari Vajpayee in one. But when an MP is nominated, he should also seek the concurrence of his party leadership.”
Speaking to the media, Tharoor said, “My party leadership is entitled to its opinion of my abilities or lack thereof, and I think that is really for them to explain. I have absolutely no comment to make on that. I am honoured to have been entrusted with the responsibility, and I will fulfil that responsibility just as I have fulfilled every responsibility entrusted to me in my rather long working life, whether at the United Nations or in the Congress Party…We have a Parliamentary Standing Committee meeting Monday and Tuesday on various issues, including this particular issue. Certainly, I informed them (the party) of the first call I got, which was two days ago. I also mentioned to the parliamentary affairs minister that I assumed that he would be talking to the party leaderships of opposition parties, and he assured me that he would be. I found it entirely appropriate, as I said, that the country should rally together on this particularly important issue…”.
Apart from Tharoor, two other Opposition leaders—Supriya Sule of Nationalist Congress Party (Sharad Pawar) and Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam’s Kanimozhi—will also lead delegations, the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs said in a press statement.
“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!” Tharoor wrote on X Saturday.
Ramesh also said that based on telephonic conversations that Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju had with Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi Friday, the Congress leadership had submitted the names of Anand Sharma, Gaurav Gogoi, Syed Naseer Hussain and Amarinder Singh Brar to be part of the proposed delegations.
He said that Rijiju spoke to Kharge and Rahul around 10 am Friday, and within the next two hours, the Lok Sabha LoP had written to the Centre submitting the names of the party’s picks.
“But the government’s move has shown that this whole initiative is a diversionary tactic and a cosmetic exercise. It also establishes that the narrative of the government has been punctured and the delegation move is merely a ploy to divert attention. The government is playing games on a serious issue. We are playing with a straight bat, but they aren’t,” the leader further said.
“The government sought four names from us, following which Kharge and Rahul had a long conversation. Accordingly, we sent four names. Rijiju gave no indication that the government would issue a press statement this morning announcing who would lead the seven delegations. The government cannot announce names without consulting us. We are not going to reconsider the names that we suggested.”
Tharoor’s acceptance of the government’s invite comes at a time when the Congress high command is already miffed with him over a series of statements by him—not in step with the party’s official line—on Operation Sindoor and US President Donald Trump’s claim that Washington acted as a mediator in getting India and Pakistan to cease hostilities.
While the Congress has been demanding that the Centre come clean on Trump’s claim, Tharoor has adopted the position that New Delhi sought no mediation. This prompted the party leadership Wednesday to accuse him of having crossed the red line, suggesting that the party’s ties with him are headed to a point of no return.
On Saturday, Ramesh did not comment on whether the party is considering any disciplinary action against Tharoor. “Right now, the challenge is to deal with terrorism and not individual MPs,” he remarked.
But sources within Congress have pointed out that the party will not immediately act against Tharoor as it is also “mindful of the appeal that he enjoys among a broad section of the urban middle class”.
(Edited by Mannat Chugh)
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