BJP and Congress Clash Over Shashi Tharoor Leading India’s Anti-Terror Delegation

BJP and Congress Clash Over Shashi Tharoor: Shashi Tharoor of the Congress Party being chosen to head one of the all-party delegations the Centre intended to send to various countries for exposing Pakistan-sponsored terrorism on the world's platform has ruffled some feathers in the Grand Old Party, which states that the Central government did not accept the four names proposed by it for the campaign.

This campaign, which has given rise to a war of words between Congress and BJP, consists of seven all-party delegations that will travel to partner countries of strategic importance to communicate India's stand of zero tolerance against terrorism post Operation Sindoor.

Opposition leaders Shashi Tharoor and Kanimozhi will be joined by the ruling alliance for a total of seven all-party delegations that are being led by Ravi Shankar Prasad and Sanjay Jha.

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What Congress said over Tharoor being picked

On Saturday, Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh said this was “dishonest on the government's part” as Shashi Tharoor was not among the names of four MPs selected for the delegations to foreign countries.

Jairam Ramesh went on to say that the Congress “is not going to change.”

"We were asked for names. We expected that the names we had given would be included. We hoped that the names given by the party would be included. But when we saw the press release of PIB, we were surprised. I cannot say what will happen now. Asking four names, giving four names, and announcing another name is dishonest on the government's part. It is possible that' Mr Rijiju had talked to Rahul ji and Kharge even after the government had made up their mind, but I am giving him the benefit of the doubt. But what happened is dishonest. We are not going to change these four names," ANI news agency quoted Jairam Ramesh.

He said Rahul Gandhi on Friday wrote a letter to Kiren Rijiju, which read: "Dear Shri Kiren Rijiju, I am writing in follow-up of a conversation with me and Kharge ji regarding the delegation for the Foreign Countries after discussing with Kharge ji I am sending you four names Anand Sharma, Gaurav Gogoi, Raja Barar and Naseer Hussain".

BJP hits back

Supporters of Shashi Tharoor in the Bharatiya Janata Party slammed Congress for being “insecure” and “jealous” of a person who “outshines the high command”.

In-charge of BJP's National Information & Technology department, Amit Malviya, said in a post on X, “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.”

“So why has the Congress Party — and Rahul Gandhi in particular — chosen not to nominate him for the multi-party delegations being sent abroad to explain India’s position on key issues? Is it insecurity? Jealousy? Or simply intolerance of anyone who outshines the ‘high command’?”

BJP leader Shehzad Poonawalla attacked the Congress on Saturday yet again for not putting up the name of Lok Sabha MP Shashi Tharoor for the delegations by claiming that the party does not have faith in its own leaders.

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He added that contradictory names were proposed by Congress including persons who had raised slogans of Pakistan Zindabad during their election.

"... Congress does not trust its party leaders. Shashi Tharoor has constantly thwarted Pakistan's narrative and introduced the concept of India First. But the Congress gave priority to its party over the nation and put forward dubious names, including the people, during whose election slogans of Pakistan Zindabad were raised," ANI quoted Poonawalla as saying.

BJP MP Manoj Tiwari also cautioned the Congress over their objections to the central government picking their senior leader Shashi Tharoor, saying this behaviour is not going to do them any good.

"Congress's behaviour earlier this operation and their behaviour now, this is not going to serve any good for Congress. It won't be good for the Congress-ruled states either. This is not a subject for politics," Manoj Tiwari was quoted as saying.

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