By Dr. Gyan Pathak
Ever since the Government of India picked up Congress MP Shashi Tharoor to lead an “all-party” delegation Group-5 under Operation Sindoor, the Congress has been under great humiliation. First, because Congress had not sent Shashi Tharoor’s name to the government; Secondly, the government chose him inflicting humiliation to the Congress; Thirdly, Shashi Tharoor accepted the assignment bringing further humiliation to his own party.
To understand the depth of humiliation, some other facts must be taken into consideration. Shashi Tharoor has been ambitious and he had even contested for Congress President post, in which he was defeated by the present President Mallikarjun Kharge. There is another ambitious person PM Narendra Modi behind Tharoor’s selection ,who has always campaigned for “Congress Mukt Bharat” to finish Congress as a party.
Since BJP has been seen working to trigger rifts or even split in opposition political parties, choosing Shashi Tharoor against the will of the Congress serves this strategy of the BJP which one can see clearly in the statements of a group of the Congress leaders who want Shashi Tharoor’s expulsion from the Congress, on disciplinary ground.
It should also be noted that after April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, and in the aftermath of the Operation Sindoor launched on May 7, Shashi Tharoor, as a true patriot, defended the government’s actions, on which several Congress and opposition leaders alleged him to be the agent of PM Narendra Modi and BJP. Shashi Tharoor, calmly responded to hurling abuses on him, and said they may have their own opinion.
On the other hand, BJP rank and file have been hurling abuses against the Congress Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi alleging that he has been using “Pakistan’s Language”. One can clearly see how BJP is portraying Rahul Gandhi as anti-national and Shashi Tharoor as great nationalist and patriot. The entire BJP’s strategy seems to be precipitating the rift in the Congress over Shashi Tharoor episode.
Nevertheless, Congress must understand that Shashi Tharoor is no BJP man, and he is not playing the BJP’s game. He is willing to work for the nation with the sole purpose of engaging with key nations under Operation Sindoor reflecting India’s collective resolve against terrorism. It is in his enthusiasm, he might have overlooked, how his acceptance of the PM Modi led government’s picking him up as leader of the ‘all-party’ delegation might bring humiliation to his own party.
Congress party must ignore this act of Shashi Tharoor, since his action is in national interest, though it brought certain embarrassment to the party in short term. The party must not consider him as BJP man. The latest example is the Delhi High Court order of May 20, in which he has been issued a notice on a plea filed by the former Union Minister and BJP leader Rajeev Chandrashekhar against him in a criminal defamation case. Tharoor had made a statement against the BJP leader that he was bribing voters.
Though Shashi Tharoor is an asset for the country as well as for the Congress party, and he will be leading a very good mission to engage with several countries against Pakistan and against the terror networks they have been nurturing for a long time against India, one may disagree with his action that brought humiliation to his own party.
On choosing him to lead the delegation by Modi government, Shashi Tharoor said that he felt honoured. He also might have felt the humiliation of not sending his name by his party. Nevertheless, if the party has not authorized him to represent the party, he can’t claim that his voice was Congress’ voice.
The Group-5, which he will be leading to USA, Panama, Guyana, Brazil, and Colombia has 9 members. Three members are from BJP, and three from BJP’s allies – 1 from LJP (Ram Vilas), 1 from TDP, and 1 from Shiv Sena. It means six members out of 9 are from ruling establishment. One member in this group is in individual capacity, and one member is from JMM. He is from Congress, but Congress is yet to announce that Tharoor will be party’s voice in the delegation, which will further weaken the ‘all-party’ character of the delegation.
Shashi Tharoor, himself, in an article has written, “There is a distressing pattern that emerges whenever India faces a crisis of this nature: political parties, instead of closing ranks in defence of the nation, often resort to scoring points – weaponizing grief for electoral advantage rather than forging a united front.”
He is right in his opinion, but to avoid further rift within his own party, he must tread carefully, since he has also a responsibility of not hurting the party he belongs to by any action. Both Shashi Tharoor and Congress must not fall prey to the BJP’s strategy of hurting the opposition and branding it anti-national while picking him up as nationalist and patriot. Citizen of the country are looking with great hope that Congress, and the leader like Shashi Tharoor should represent the alternative political thinking based on secular democracy as against Hindutva forces.
Even in the Shashi Tharoor’s home state, Kerala assembly elections are due in 2026, where BJP has deep interest. They would like to fan rift within Congress. Therefore, taking any action by Congress against Shashi Tharoor or even isolating him within the party, would prove costly for the party’s electoral fortune. Both the Congress and Shashi Tharoor must not fall prey to BJP’s trap.
United resolve for fight against terror and their sponsor Pakistan, much be reflected in the attitude of both the ruling establishment and the opposition. People expect more responsible behaviour from leaders of all political parties without playing politics with each other on the issue of nation security. (IPA Service)
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