A national crisis, such as the recent military escalation between India and Pakistan, can be a great unifier. But sparring in the arena of domestic politics can, evidently, wreck this unity across political lines. Several Opposition parties have raised the proverbial red flag, alleging that the Narendra Modi government went about its selection or rejection of nominees from the Opposition for the multi-party teams meant to mobilise global opinion in a unilateral manner. The Congress, to cite one example, made grumbling noises about the Centre’s decision to have Shashi Tharoor lead one such delegation: Mr Tharoor was not in the Congress’s list of nominees. But Mr Tharoor insisted on going, forcing the Congress on the back foot. The Trinamool Congress, too, had insisted on replacing Yusuf Pathan, the candidate selected by the Centre, with someone who was the party’s — Mamata Banerjee’s — choice. It has now got its way with the Centre agreeing to replace Mr Pathan with Abhishek Banerjee, a parliamentarian, and the Bengal chief minister’s nominee.

Two things need to be borne in mind amidst all the mudslinging. First, the initiative to send representatives to global capitals with an important diplomatic message was one conceived by the Centre. The prerogative of choosing representatives for this mission should thus logically lie with the Central government. Kiren Rijiju’s claim about the Centre not asking for nominees from parties perhaps stems from this reasoning. Second, both Mr Modi’s government and the Opposition should bear in mind that the choice of representation in this matter should lie not in political considerations but in merit. Mr Tharoor, given his expertise and experience, is certainly a better man to represent the country on such an endeavour than, say, some of the others whose names had been proposed by the Congress. There is, however, context to the Opposition’s reaction. Mr Modi’s government has been known to act in a brusque, one-sided manner without taking the Opposition along. In this instance, the Opposition may have wanted to stir up a similar accusation. The larger point though concerns the fraying of India’s federal spirit. Competitive electoral politics and the resultant strain on the ties between the government and the Opposition can be cited as factors responsible for the erosion in this constitutional compact. That even a message of national unity can be adversely affected by the narrow interests of domestic politics is a matter of shame.