Shashi Tharoor’s solo move sparks Congress fury as it clashes with Centre over all-party delegation

New Delhi: Political tempers flared on Saturday over the Centre's all-party global outreach against Pakistan-sponsored terrorism, with tensions surfacing not just between the government and the Congress, but within the Congress itself.

The trigger: the government naming senior Congress MP Shashi Tharoor as leader of one of the delegations - a move that the party brass appeared keen to undercut. Shortly after Tharoor's name was made official, the Congress released its own list of four nominees - Anand Sharma, Gaurav Gogoi, Syed Naseer Hussain, and Raja Brar - pointedly leaving out Tharoor, Manish Tewari, Salman Khurshid, and Amar Singh, who had been sounded out by the government earlier.

Before the Congress could press home its message - that it, not the Centre, nor individual MPs, had the right to decide its representatives - Tharoor posted a public acceptance of the government's invitation, catching his party off-guard.


"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. When national interest is involved, and my services are required, I will not be found wanting. Jai Hind!" Tharoor posted on X.

This swift move reignited the simmering unease within the Congress over Tharoor's increasingly independent stance, with party circles debating whether continued snubs from his detractors within the AICC were pushing him to the edge.

Congress communications chief Jairam Ramesh responded sharply, accusing the government of "dishonesty" for announcing Tharoor's name without the party's consent.

"You cannot include MPs in delegations without consulting the party. All of us belong to the party, and the government must consult the Leaders of Opposition," Ramesh said. He also fired a veiled barb at Tharoor, likening Congress to the Ganga: "The Congress is like the mighty Ganga, which has many tributaries. Some dry up, some get polluted."