The Congress party has stated it will not obstruct any of its leaders from joining the Centre’s diplomatic delegations aimed at building international consensus on India’s zero-tolerance stance against cross-border terrorism.
This comes as Congress MP Shashi Tharoor accepted the Modi government’s invitation to lead one such delegation abroad. While the party’s central leadership adopted a conciliatory tone, asking all participating members to “listen to their conscience,” it also voiced concerns over the BJP-led government’s selection process.
Congress communications in-charge Jairam Ramesh criticized the Centre for allegedly politicizing the effort. He noted that out of the four names officially recommended by the party—Anand Sharma, Gaurav Gogoi, Syed Naseer Hussain, and Amrinder Singh Raja Warring—only Sharma was included. Instead, other Congress leaders not nominated by the party, such as Shashi Tharoor, Manish Tewari, Amar Singh, and Salman Khurshid, were named to the delegations.
“The government chose to include just one of the four names we proposed, while independently picking four other Congress leaders. We believe national interest is paramount, and those participating should act according to their conscience,” Ramesh told PTI.
Meanwhile, the Kerala Congress has kept its distance from the controversy, with Leader of Opposition VD Satheesan saying the matter falls under the purview of the party’s central leadership. “Whatever their view is, we will go with it,” he said.
Senior leader Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan added a cautionary note, suggesting that Tharoor should act in consultation with the party’s leadership and not undermine its standing. “He should fulfill his primary responsibility as a Congress MP while engaging on the international stage,” Radhakrishnan told a local news channel.
The issue has sparked wider debate about political protocol, party loyalty, and national interest in the context of India’s global diplomatic strategy against terrorism.
