New Delhi [India]: A political row has erupted over the Centre’s announcement of an all-party delegation to represent India’s stand on terrorism and Operation Sindoor on the global stage. The Congress party has strongly objected to the inclusion of Shashi Tharoor, claiming the government overlooked the list of names they officially submitted.
Speaking at a press briefing, Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh accused the Modi government of “dishonesty” and said the party had shared a separate list of four MPs in response to the government’s request for nominations. The four names submitted were Anand Sharma, Gaurav Gogoi, Raja Barar, and Naseer Hussain.
“We were asked for four names, we gave four names, and the government announced a different name. This is dishonest,” said Ramesh.
He clarified that the party does not plan to revise its nominations, despite Tharoor’s inclusion in the official list released by the government, which also featured leaders from other parties. Ramesh implied that the government had already made up its mind, despite ongoing communications with senior Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge.
Rahul Gandhi’s Letter to Rijiju
Ramesh read from a letter that Rahul Gandhi reportedly sent to Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju on May 16. In it, Gandhi reiterated the Congress’s support for the international outreach initiative and formally submitted the names after internal consultation with Kharge.
The government, however, went ahead and publicly named Shashi Tharoor—a sitting Congress MP from Thiruvananthapuram—without consulting the party, Ramesh claimed.
“There is a huge difference between being in the Congress and being of the Congress,” he remarked, emphasizing that the selection was unilateral and not party-endorsed.
Historical Parallel and Demand for Parliamentary Session
Ramesh compared the current diplomatic situation to that of 1971, when former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi dispatched an international delegation—including opposition leaders like Jayaprakash Narayan—ahead of the Bangladesh Liberation War.
He demanded a formal all-party meeting and a special session of Parliament to reaffirm India’s national consensus on cross-border terrorism and its approach towards Pakistan and the United States.
“Why is the Prime Minister avoiding Parliament and an all-party meeting?” Ramesh asked.
Operation Sindoor Background
The delegation is being sent in the wake of Operation Sindoor, launched on May 7 following a terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Jammu & Kashmir on April 22 that killed 26 civilians. The government carried out precision strikes targeting terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoJK), reportedly killing over 100 terrorists.
The international outreach effort, coordinated by Union Minister Kiren Rijiju, includes seven MPs from across the political spectrum tasked with representing India’s unified stance on terrorism abroad.
Delegation Leaders Announced by Government:
- Shashi Tharoor (Congress)
- Ravi Shankar Prasad (BJP)
- Baijayant Panda (BJP)
- Sanjay Kumar Jha (JDU)
- Kanimozhi Karunanidhi (DMK)
- Supriya Sule (NCP-SP)
- Shrikant Shinde (Shiv Sena)