- Saturday, May 17, 2025
The Narendra Modi government has nominated Shashi Tharoor to lead a diplomatic outreach delegation to present India’s point of view on the recent standoff with Pakistan
By: India Weekly
FORMER diplomat and Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Saturday (17) said that when national interest is involved and his services are required, he will not be found wanting.
He said this after the Narendra Modi government nominated him to lead a diplomatic outreach delegation after Operation Sindoor, India’s missile strike on Pakistan to avenge the Pahalgam terror attack.
Tharoor said he is honored by the invitation of the government to lead an all-party delegation to five key capitals to present the nation’s point of view on the recent standoff with Pakistan.
His remarks came after the government announced that it will send seven all-party delegations to key partner countries, including members of the UN Security Council, later this month to convey India’s message of zero tolerance against terrorism following the Pahalgam terror attack.
“I am honored by the invitation of the government of India to lead an all-party delegation to five key capitals, to present our nation’s point of view on recent events,” Tharoor said on X.
“When national interest is involved, and my services are required, I will not be found wanting. Jai Hind!” the chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs said.
The government has made a careful selection of leaders who will head the delegations, as they come from parties across the political divide and are considered articulate voices.
BJP MPs Ravi Shankar Prasad and Baijayant Panda, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, JD(U) MP Sanjay Jha, DMK’s Kanimozhi, NCP (SP) MP Supriya Sule, and Shiv Sena’s Shrikant Shinde will be heading a delegation each.
While four of them are from the ruling National Democratic Alliance, three are from the opposition INDIA bloc. Each delegation may visit around five countries, sources said.
A statement issued by the Parliamentary Affairs Ministry earlier on Saturday said, “The all-party delegations will project India’s national consensus and resolute approach to combating terrorism in all forms and manifestations.”
Parliamentary affairs minister Kiren Rijiju called the move, “A powerful reflection of national unity above politics, beyond differences.”
According to the ministry’s statement, distinguished diplomats will be part of each delegation.
CNN-News18 claims that Tharoor will lead a delegation to the United States, while Supriya Sule will lead a team to South Africa and Egypt.
Baijayant Panda will head a delegation to Western Europe, while fellow BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad lead the Middle East outreach.
Shrikant Shinde will represent India in the UAE and Africa, while JDU’s Sanjay Jha will be leading the delegation of multi-party MPs to Japan, South Korea, Indonesia and Malaysia
DMK MP Kanimozhi will visit India’s key partner countries Russia and Spain.
Tharoor on Thursday (15) dismissed the media reports regarding the party leadership giving him a “clear message” that he crossed the ‘lakshman rekha’ through his remarks on the India-Pakistan conflict.
Tharoor said he came to know about this only through the media.
Addressing reporters in Thiruvananthapuram, he said the news was just a media creation without any evidence.
“I don’t know where this comes from. I was in a meeting, a closed door meeting of the Congress Working Committee leaders yesterday. I was there till 6.35 pm for a meeting that began at 4.30 pm and I must say that at that time, there was certainly no reference to any of this and no reference to me.
“Now, if something happened thereafter, I am yet to be informed of it,” Tharoor said, dismissing the reports about the warning the party has given him.
Backing what the senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said, Tharoor said whatever he had said on the issue was in his personal capacity as he was not the official spokesperson of the party.
“He’s absolutely correct. I’ve been very clear that I am not a spokesman of the party. I’m not a spokesman of the government either,” Tharoor said.
He said people approached him for his views on the subject as they thought he had some knowledge about some of these subjects, referring to the conflict between India and Pakistan.
“And I make it very clear, sometimes explicitly, sometimes implicitly, that I’m expressing my personal views as an Indian, as a proud citizen,” Tharoor added.
He reminded everyone that the Congress party had declared complete solidarity with the government and the armed forces at the beginning of this conflict.
“And in that spirit, I also expressed that support from my mind, it was merely a contribution to a very important national discourse at a time when, frankly, it was important for us to rally around the flag,” Tharoor added.
He also said at that time, internationally, there was a relative lack of India’s point of view being heard, particularly in Europe, in the Middle East, in the US and so on.
“When stations from those countries approached me, I felt it was almost my duty to try and give a point of view, that I believe accurately reflects my understanding anyway, of what India believes, stands for and would have done,” Tharoor clarified, justifying the expression of his view points to foreign media and that it was nothing official.
He said though he is the chairman of a parliamentary standing committee on external affairs, his party has not yet briefed them on what stand each should take on this issue.
He said the party’s briefing is scheduled for Monday.
“I am giving my personal opinion as somebody who has been witnessing and watching world affairs from close quarters for a very long time. That’s about it. And frankly, people are entirely free and welcome to reject my point of view,” Tharoor added. (Agencies)
