The Narendra Modi government’s expanding diplomatic drive against terrorism has a political arrowhead: Congress MP Shashi Tharoor.
The Centre, spurred on by front ranks of the BJP, twisted the Shashi Tharoor taunt into the Congress on Saturday, appointing him leader of one of seven all-party delegations that will take India’s “zero tolerance to terrorism” message across world capitals.
Tharoor, a four-time Thiruvananthapuram MP, defiantly went along, calling the government’s decision an honour and vowing he would not disappoint with his given task.
Later, at a news conference in Thiruvananthapuram, an undeterred Tharoor asserted: “It was the central government who sought my permission to head the delegation. I proudly replied, ‘Yes’. I also head the parliamentary committee on external affairs. The controversy is between the BJP government and the Congress.”
He added: “It was the parliamentary affairs minister who called me up. I’ve informed my party about their invitation.”
Congress communications chief Jairam Ramesh likened the BJP’s selection of Tharoor to “bodyline” — the English fast bowlers’ controversial targeting of Australian batters’ bodies during the 1932-33 Ashes tour. He, however, sidestepped a question about possible disciplinary action against Tharoor.
Tharoor has angered his party by lauding Prime Minister Modi’s handling of Operation Sindoor and the subsequent understanding with Pakistan to hold fire.
When parliamentary affairs minister Kiren Rijiju announced the heads of the seven delegations in the morning, Tharoor’s name figured at the top. Two of the six others —all MPs — too were from the Opposition.
The six were Ravi Shankar Prasad (BJP), Baijayant Panda (BJP), Sanjay Kumar Jha (JDU), Kanimozhi Karunanidhi (DMK), Supriya Sule (NCP-SP) and Shrikant Eknath Shinde (Shiv Sena).
The government has not yet named the other delegation members but said MPs from various parties, prominent political personalities and distinguished diplomats would be part of each delegation.
Tharoor’s appointment came despite the Congress not nominating him. The government had on Friday requested the Congress to nominate four of its MPs to be part of the delegations. The Congress had named former cabinet minister Anand Sharma, deputy leader in the Lok Sabha Gaurav Gogoi, and MPs Syed Naseer Hussain and Raja Brar.
Of the four suggested by the Congress, only Sharma has been included. Tharoor will head the team going to the US, Brazil, Panama, Guyana and Colombia.
As part of this effort to enlist people with experience in foreign policy, the government had approached former external affairs minister and Congress veteran Salman Khursheed. He has left the decision to his party.
The Congress made its displeasure known over Tharoor’s public acceptance of the government’s offer without consulting the party leadership.
“There is a world of difference between being in the Congress and of the Congress,” Ramesh said.
Tharoor, however, invoked “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,” he posted on X.
“When national interest is involved, and my services are required, I will not be found wanting.”
Asked to comment on his selection despite the Congress not nominating him, Tharoor said the government had selected “who they felt was appropriate”. He stressed that it was a government delegation.
“My party leadership is entitled to its opinion of my abilities or the lack thereof, and I think it is really for them to explain. I have absolutely no comment to make on that,” he told reporters.
Ramesh spoke of how the government had sought four names and the Congress had obliged, only to be rebuffed. “What will happen next, I can’t say. Names are different,” he said.
“We did our duty. We were hoping that the government is asking for names with honest intentions. We didn’t know that they are doing it with a mischievous mentality.”
The government’s list left room for allegations of another sort of “mischief” — it printed “NCP” beside Sule’s name. Sule officially belongs to the NCP (Sharad Pawar) while the rival faction led by her cousin Ajit Pawar — a BJP ally — is recognised as the NCP.
Rijiju sought to project the all-party delegations as a “powerful reflection of national unity above politics, beyond differences”.
In a post on X, he said: “In moments that matter most, Bharat stands united. Seven All-Party Delegations will soon visit key partner nations, carrying our shared message of zero-tolerance to terrorism.”
The statement said the delegations would visit various countries, including members of the UN Security Council, later this month.
The government’s all-party diplomatic outreach comes amid repeated demands by the Congress for an all-party meeting, chaired by Modi, and a special session of Parliament to discuss Operation Sindoor and US President Donald Trump’s claims of mediation.
The government has so far not accepted these demands. Instead, it has come out with the idea of all-party delegations, mooted by Rajya Sabha member Kapil Sibal, which the Opposition would find difficult to oppose.
Similar all-party delegations had been sent out after terror attacks in 1994 and 2008.
The government did not respond to the Congress’s barbs but BJP social media head Amit Malviya jumped in to take swipes at Rahul Gandhi. He extolled Tharoor’s “eloquence” and asked why his party had not named him.
“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,” Malviya said on X.
“So why has the Congress Party — and Rahul Gandhi in particular — chosen not to nominate him for the multi-party delegations…. Is it insecurity? Jealousy? Or simply intolerance of anyone who outshines the ‘high command’?”
Malviya went on to question the credentials of two of Congress’s picks — Rajya Sabha MP Hussain and Lok Sabha MP Gogoi — asking “can they be trusted to represent India” on “matters involving Pakistan”.
He claimed that Hussain’s supporters had chanted “Pakistan zindabad” inside the Karnataka legislature while celebrating his Rajya Sabha election.
He also referred to an allegation by Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma that Gogoi had spent 15 days in Pakistan with his wife.
Sarma too weighed in, urging Rahul to drop Gogoi’s name from the list.