Congress Gave 4 Names For Global Outreach, Shashi Tharoor Not One Of Them
New Delhi:
Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor will lead a key all-party delegation overseas, despite not featuring in his party’s own shortlist of nominees for the task. According to party leader Jairam Ramesh, Union Minister Kiren Rijiju had requested the Congress on the morning of 16 May to suggest four names for inclusion in the delegations being dispatched abroad to articulate India’s position on terrorism originating from Pakistan.
By noon the same day, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, responded with four names on behalf of the Congress, and Mr Tharoor was not one of them.
The Congress recommendation list included: Anand Sharma, a former Cabinet Minister, Gaurav Gogoi, Deputy Leader of the party in the Lok Sabha, Dr Syed Naseer Hussain, a Rajya Sabha MP, and Raja Brar, Lok Sabha MP.
The Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs announced that Mr Tharoor, the four-time MP from Thiruvananthapuram, would head the all-party delegation. Other members named include BJP leaders Ravi Shankar Prasad and Baijayant Panda, Janata Dal (United) MP Sanjay Kumar Jha, DMK’s Kanimozhi Karunanidhi, NCP (Sharad Pawar faction) leader Supriya Sule, and Shiv Sena (Shinde faction) MP Shrikant Shinde.
Yesterday morning, the Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Kiren Rijiju spoke with the Congress President and the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha. The INC was asked to submit names of 4 MPs for the delegations to be sent abroad to explain India’s stance on terrorism from Pakistan. By noon yesterday May 16th, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha wrote to the Minister of Parliamentary Affairs giving the following names on behalf of the INC,” Mr Ramesh wrote on X, mentioning the Congress leaders on the list.
The BJP has called the suggestions by the Congress “questionable”.
“The Congress party’s choices to represent India at diplomatic meetings are not just intriguing – they are deeply questionable,” wrote BJP spokesperson Amit Malviya on X.