Congress livid as govt ignores its list for foreign outreach, picks Tharoor

NEW DELHI: On the day the Centre formally announced the composition of seven delegations of MPs to be sent to various countries to articulate India’s stance against terrorism and highlight ‘Operation Sindoor’, a row erupted Saturday over govt ignoring Congress’s recommendations on who should be included from its ranks and, instead, choosing Shashi Tharoor — whom the party did not name — to head one of the delegations.Angry at the Centre naming Tharoor and not including three of four MPs it had recommended — Gaurav Gogoi, Syed Naseer Hussain and Raja Warring — Congress slammed the Modi govt for playing games” on a sensitive issue, and urged it not to politicise the delegations. From Congress’s list, only Anand Sharma has been picked.Congress spokesperson Jairam Ramesh said party MPs included “at the instance of the Modi govt will, of course, go with the delegations and make their contributions”. He added, “INC will...not play partisan politics on national security issues, like BJP does.”For Congress, Tharoor is a nettlesome problemHaving been shocked by the Left the last time when Pinarayi Vijayan returned to office defying the state’s tradition of ejecting incumbent govts, Congress this time would like to consolidate its leaders to be able to put up a serious challenge as the leading opposition. Support for Shashi Tharoor among some UDF allies may also deter Congress.Recent events have been marked by a growing gulf between the restive MP and Congress, and the fresh confrontation could be the point where the party and Tharoor may have to take a call on their relationship — either Congress swallows its pride and accommodates its star MP or the latter chooses to break free. In between, there exists possibility of Tharoor being an isolated member within the party: something that the Thiruvananthapuram MP must have factored in before he justified his praise for ‘Operation Sindoor’ by saying it was patriotic thing to do.On Saturday, no sooner had govt released names of seven MPs leading global outreach on ‘Operation Sindoor’, which included Tharoor, than Congress released its list of four nominees submitted to the govt for the delegations that did not include Tharoor. The Thiruvananthapuram MP, however, went ahead by announcing that he was honoured to be leading the delegation, and that he would “not be found wanting” when summoned in national interest. Congress spokesperson Jairam Ramesh addressed the development with a jibe, “there is a difference in being in Congress and being of Congress”.It is ironic that the rumblings came barely a month after Tharoor took the central stage at the AICC session in Ahmedabad, where he was the first speaker on the political resolution introduced by Sachin Pilot. But some felt it was not so ironic after all because Tharoor in his brief speech had urged the party to be one of positivity and hope, and of solutions and not just counting problems, in what could be viewed as an advice to be prudent in picking battles against PM Narendra Modi and his party, BJP.If it comes to a breaking point after Tharoor having called his support for the govt decision over the party’s as “national interest”, Congress would be aware that BJP would use it to paint the arch rival in a negative light. Clearly, Congress has a nettlesome problem on its hands.Tewari’s name in outreach teams list could also be a challenge for CongressAfter Shashi Tharoor, Congress may face more challenge if Chandigarh MP Manish Tewari is included in the all-party delegations that are to visit some foreign countries as part of govt’s global outreach on Pakistan-sponsored terrorism. Sources close to Tewari said, “If the MP’s name is included in the all-party delegations, he will surely rise to the occasion to serve his nation and go with the delegation.”Meanwhile, former Union minister Anand Sharma has received a call from govt that he would be in the delegation. He is one of the four names recommended by Congress. Sharma said, “I received a call from minister (Kiren) Rijiju and I have accepted it as the nominee of Congress.”It is learnt that former minister Salman Khurshid is likely to back out if he figures in the final list. The fourth Congress leader that govt contacted, Punjab MP Amar Singh, may also skip. Neither of the four from Congress that govt contacted are in the shortlist that Rahul Gandhi has submitted to Union minister Kiren Rijiju.