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Sources say Congress asked Tharoor to toe the party line and question the operation but the senior leader chose to abstain from speaking at the discussion instead
Tharoor was head of the US delegation on Op Sindoor and his speech could have added might to the Congress arsenal. (PTI)
The Congress is fighting two battles—one with the government on Operation Sindoor and SIR and the other—bigger and trickier—with its own party man Shashi Tharoor.
The official list of House speakers for the Congress on Monday was noticed for the conspicuous absence of Tharoor and Manish Tewari. Tharoor was head of the US delegation on Op Sindoor and his speech could have added might to the Congress arsenal. This is precisely the reason why the party did not want him to speak—or speak toeing the party line.
The Congress wants to ‘gherao’ the government on two issues—Has America brokered ceasefire as claimed by US President Donald Trump and where are the Pahalgam terrorists? It’s on this ground that the Congress party has labelled Operation Sindoor unsuccessful and taken a stand different from Tharoor.
Sources say Congress wanted Tharoor to join the debate to question the operation but Tharoor reportedly said he thought India’s move was successful. As Congress asked him to toe the party line, Tharoor bluntly refused and chose to not speak instead in Parliament.
Tharoor also made no qualms to hide his forced silence. When questioned by reporters in connection with the Operation Sindoor debate in Parliament, “Maunvrat, maunvrat…” [vow of silence] is all he said.
With Tharoor’s refusal, what could be even more embarrassing for the party? Maybe the possibility that the Speaker suo moto asks the Congress veteran to speak on his experience of heading the delegation to America.
If this happens, it would be seen as a huge snub—not just to Congress, but also the other opposition parties that are questioning the operation.
But for Tharoor, it could mean a point of no return. The Congress says he can’t be in the party and speak the language that suits the BJP. Tharoor’s grudge, meanwhile, is that he has been sidelined by his own party on multiple issues.
Pallavi Ghosh has covered politics and Parliament for 15 years, and has reported extensively on Congress, UPA-I and UPA-II, and has now included the Finance Ministry and Niti Aayog in her reportage. She has als…Read More
Pallavi Ghosh has covered politics and Parliament for 15 years, and has reported extensively on Congress, UPA-I and UPA-II, and has now included the Finance Ministry and Niti Aayog in her reportage. She has als… Read More
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