Where love is the eternal custom, I sing the songs of that place, residing in India, I speak of India...
With this verse from the 1970 movie 'Purab Aur Paschim', Congress MP Manish Tiwari posted on his social media to make his stance clear. Accompanying this post was an article mentioning his exclusion from the speakers' list during the Lok Sabha discussion on Operation Sindhoor because he spoke in favor of the government.
Exclusion from Operation Sindhoor Discussion
The ongoing discussion on Operation Sindhoor in the Lok Sabha has been happening for 16 hours from Monday and will conclude on Tuesday with Union Home Minister Amit Shah's reply, despite Defense Minister Rajnath Singh beginning the debate the day before. However, the shocking part is that Manish Tiwari and Shashi Tharoor were not on the Congress-provided speakers' list.
According to sources, Manish Tiwari had emailed the Office of Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of Opposition, expressing his wish to speak during the discussion. However, the list issued by Congress included names like Gaurav Gogoi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Deepender Hooda, Bijendra S. Ola, Praniti S. Shinde, and Saptagiri Ulaka, excluding Tharoor and Tiwari.
Read Also: Congress says - Must speak in line with party... Shashi Tharoor refuses to speak on Operation Sindhoor
Both congressmen were part of the all-party delegation touring abroad after Operation Sindhoor, and they openly supported it. After returning, they, along with other delegation members, met with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Though Congress did not nominate these leaders as part of the delegation, the central government included them willingly.
Condition to Speak in Party Line
This has led to tensions surfacing between the Congress leadership and these leaders. Shashi Tharoor refused to say anything, maintaining 'silence' about his exclusion from the speakers' list. However, sources revealed that Congress wanted Tharoor to be a speaker but on the condition to speak on party lines and criticize the government on Operation Sindhoor.
Read Also: 'Vow of Silence, Vow of Silence...', Why aren't they on the speaker list in Parliament? Shashi Tharoor laughs off the query.
Tharoor did not agree with Congress's approach and chose to distance himself from the debate on Operation Sindhoor. On foreign tours, he openly expressed support for the operation and the central government, and even praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi on numerous occasions, making Congress uneasy.
Several MPs Defend Congress
Within Congress, the ongoing debate in Parliament regarding Operation Sindhoor has stirred controversy. However, Party MP Pramod Tiwari stated that speakers in discussions are limited, and those chosen will present Congress's position. He mentioned several people, including Manish Tiwari, were left off the list but asserted there is no internal conflict.
Congress MP Imran Masood defended the party regarding Manish Tiwari's social media post, highlighting that the song he referred to is sung by Mukesh, celebrating Indira Gandhi's era when India played a pivotal role in liberating Bangladesh and stood firm against the US.
Reacting to Manish Tiwari's exclusion from Congress’s speaker list, BJP spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari accused Rahul Gandhi-led Congress of sidelining those who chant 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai' and promoting sentiments that echo 'Pakistan Zindabad'.
