The continuous attacks by Congress functionaries on Kerala MP and senior leader, Shashi Tharoor, who is leading a diplomatic delegation to multiple countries, are uncalled for and are undermining the position of the grand old party.
Tharoor, a Four-time Lok Sabha member from Thiruvananthapuram, is an asset and should be duly accorded recognition by his party for his intellectual ability and brilliance. Yes, it is true that his actions appear to be at variance with those of Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of Opposition, but this is so because he has been constantly ignored by the high command.
Rahul Gandhi has asked certain uncomfortable questions from the government, and he is within his right to pose these queries, which many others in the country are also seeking answers for. The government must address them instead of labelling him anti-national, which seems to be an easy way out to divert attention from important issues.
Shashi Tharoor is leading an MPs panel to foreign countries including America, to spell out India’s position regarding its strikes on terrorist hubs in Pakistan, and is presenting the official position to counter claims made by the enemy country. Obviously, he cannot be asking the same questions as Rahul Gandhi while he is abroad leading a delegation.
Some other Congress leaders, who are a part of other similar diplomatic initiatives are also toeing the government line. For many Congress supporters, this may seem to be a contradiction, but one has to understand that there are issues which can be debated within the country and there is no need to have any discussion on them on foreign soil. This is also true, that the government is shying away from any dialogue on Operation Sindoor, and the Opposition is getting the impression that it was trying to conceal certain aspects of the truth.
For instance, even on Friday, US President Donald Trump, while addressing a press conference at his Oval Office, reiterated that it was his intervention that led to the ceasefire between the two countries. New Delhi’s stand is different and it continues to maintain that the conflict ended after Islamabad made a request to the Indian authorities.
The issue that arises is that the Centre must come clean on the matter and clarify what actually happened. If Trump is telling lies and his claim is inaccurate, it should be communicated to Washington in no uncertain terms. The issue is creating doubts in the minds of people, who do not know whether it was third party intervention, which led to the ceasefire or Islamabad was rattled by the aggression shown by Indian Armed Forces and came begging for peace.
Coming back to the Congress and Tharoor, senior leader Udit Raj issued a statement describing Tharoor as the chief spokesman of the BJP, a charge endorsed by some others holding key positions in the party. It was a little strange since Udit Raj was a BJP Lok Sabha MP from North-East Delhi between 2014 to 2019, and it seemed odd that he was accusing a loyal Congress leader of being mixed up with the saffron brigade.
There has been speculation in political circles that Tharoor and some others, who are also part of various delegations could leave the Congress and join the BJP or NDA at a later stage. These conjectures are bound to happen if the Congress does not give sufficient importance to its own leaders and relies heavily on a coterie that is controlling the internal politics of the party and surrounds Rahul Gandhi.
The BJP, evidently, sees an opportunity in this, and has decided to play its own games. However, Congress must realize that ever since 2014, the BJP has been drawing leaders from within the grand old party, which can also be construed as an open admission that it did not have sufficient talent within its own ranks and was therefore getting gifted individuals from other organizations.
In the case of Tharoor, Manish Tewari, Salman Khurshid and Anand Sharma, their selection to be part of the diplomatic outreach is because there are not too many people within the ruling alliance, who can match their understanding of international affairs, and present the country’s case internationally.
These gentlemen have been defending the Indian point of view very well, though it is another matter if the outreach may not achieve the desired results because the foreign ministry needs to pull up its socks and do better than what it has been doing so far. External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar has been under attack for a number of reasons including his controversial statement regarding Pakistan being notified on India’s intention of striking terror camps.
So far as Tharoor and company are concerned, the offer by the government to be part of delegations came as a surprise since they were not getting enough attention for their qualities from their own party. The thinking perhaps was that when the Congress despite being in opposition was not wishing to acknowledge their contribution, what would happen to them, if the party was to ever come to power at the Centre.
The government also has to also introspect on its own policies and the recent statement made by Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh seeking accountability and urgency within India’s defence procurement and manufacturing eco-system, reflects the state of affairs. His plea should not be brushed under the carpet.
The Congress too must review its stance on Tharoor and others and grant them a greater role. Between us.