‘Insecurity, jealousy’: BJP questions Congress over not nominating Tharoor for delegation on Operation Sindoor
The BJP on Saturday took a dig at the Congress after it emerged that senior party leader Shashi Tharoor was not included in the grand old party’s official recommendations for a diplomatic outreach initiative.
The development follows controversy over the Centre’s decision to include Tharoor in its multi-party delegation tasked with explaining India’s stance on the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack and the subsequent military action against Pakistan, codenamed Operation Sindoor.
Shortly after the Centre announced the names, Congress media in-charge Jairam Ramesh revealed that Tharoor was absent from the party’s recommended list. It included Anand Sharma, Gaurav Gogoi, Syed Naseer Hussain, and Amrinder Singh Raja Warring.
In its praise for Tharoor’s stature and oratory skills, the BJP questioned his standing within his own party.
“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 in a post on X.
“Is it insecurity? Jealousy? Or simply intolerance of anyone who outshines the ‘high command’?” he added.
Congress general secretary Ramesh clarified that Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi had submitted a list of names to Union Minister Kiren Rijiju, and Tharoor did not feature on the said list.
Ramesh, however, added that it is “possible” that Rijiju spoke to Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi.
“It is possible that Mr Rijiju spoke to Mr Kharge and Mr Gandhi after the government had made up its mind. There is no rift in the party; the party is one. There was no discussion on any individual’s name when Mr Rijiju called Mr Kharge and Mr Gandhi. There was no suggestion on A, B, C or D,” Ramesh said.
Tharoor, who represents Thiruvananthapuram in the Lok Sabha and chairs the Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs, has been named by the Central Government to head one of the seven all-party delegations set to visit key global Capitals.
These delegations are intended to present a united Indian front in the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack, which killed 26 people, and to counter Pakistan on Kashmir and cross-border terrorism.
“...When national interest is involved, and my services are required, I will not be found wanting. Jai Hind!” Tharoor wrote on X.
Tharoor, in recent interviews and public statements, has consistently defended the Centre following the Pahalgam attack and Operation Sindoor, including cross-border strikes.
This public alignment with the Centre’s position, however, appears to have triggered discomfort within his own party. At a recent meeting of the Congress Working Committee (CWC), attended by Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Jairam Ramesh and other senior leaders, party insiders say a clear message was conveyed that “this is not a time for airing individual views”. A senior leader reportedly remarked that Tharoor had “crossed the lakshman rekha.”
Jairam Ramesh acknowledged that Tharoor’s recent comments did not reflect the party’s official stance. “When Mr. Tharoor speaks, it is his view, and it is not the stand of the party,” he said.
