The Parliament is set to discuss Operation Sindur starting Monday, with both sides having their list of speakers ready. The Lok Sabha has allocated 16 hours for this debate. The absence of the eloquent Shashi Tharoor, a Congress MP and former Minister of State for External Affairs, from Congress' list has raised questions from the BJP.
Tharoor's Refusal to Speak
Reliable sources reveal that Congress and opposition leader Rahul Gandhi's office asked Tharoor to speak on this issue in the Lok Sabha. However, Tharoor declined to participate in the special discussion on Operation Sindur. Instead, Congress will be represented by Gaurav Gogoi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Deepender Hooda, Bijendra S Ola, Praniti S Shinde, and Saptagiri Ulaka.
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Tharoor had led a group of an all-party delegation abroad after Operation Sindur, where he strongly endorsed the operation. Now, Congress requested him to question the operation per the party line, which he wasn't prepared to do.
Disagreement with Party Line
Tharoor openly stated he could not attack the government over a successful Operation Sindur just to follow the party line. He maintained that the operation was a success, a stance that Congress was not ready to accept, which might explain his exclusion from their speakers' list.
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The government's list of speakers on Operation Sindur in the Lok Sabha includes Rajnath Singh, Baijayant Panda, S Jaishankar, Tejaswi Surya, Sanjay Jaiswal, Anurag Thakur, and Kamaljeet Sehrawat, with Defense Minister Rajnath Singh starting the discussion.
Strained Ties Between Congress and Tharoor
Following the 22 April Pahalgam terrorist attacks, India launched a military operation against terrorist sites in Pakistan, named Operation Sindur. Post-operation, the government sent over seven all-party delegations to more than 30 countries. Tharoor led one such group, though his nomination wasn’t from Congress, but he was included by the government.
The rift between Congress and Tharoor began here. During his foreign tour, Tharoor openly praised Operation Sindur as a success. Additionally, he also appreciated Prime Minister Narendra Modi for making tough decisions, further straining his relationship with Congress.
Related Read: Tharoor's Praise of PM Modi - Congress Distances Itself
Several Congress leaders, including party president Mallikarjun Kharge, have questioned Tharoor, to which Tharoor responded in his characteristic style. His exclusion from the Lok Sabha debate on Operation Sindur has sparked a new political debate within Congress.
