Crossing the 'Lakshman Rekha': The curious case of Congress' misplaced fury over Shashi Tharoor

The Centre has picked Congress MP Shashi Tharoor to lead an all-party delegation abroad on Operation Sindoor.

In times of rare consensus between the Opposition and the Centre on India's actions post the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22, the Congress stands out as an outlier, a victim of its discord within -- one that threatens to erode its own credibility.

The grand old party's staunch opposition to the inclusion of party leader Shashi Tharoor in an all-party delegation that will lead India's global outreach on India's stand as part of Operation Sindoor, the party has not only exposed its fissures within, but may have discredited the exercise in the process that its own INDIA bloc allies have accepted readily.

That the Congress' frustration with Tharoor, the Lok Sabha MP from Thiruvananthapuram, isn't new is well-established now. The articulate former career diplomat has differed from the party's stand on key matters on multiple occasions and there is a staunch belief within an influential section within the party that allowing him to continue may do it more harm than good, especially in the Assembly elections due to be held in Kerala in 2026.

And this is precisely where the Congress' dichotomy lies. What does it do with a leader who refuses to toe the line of the leadership, speaks his own mind, gives credit to political adversaries where due, but, at the same time, manages to capture and articulate the larger national sentiment on the domestic and global stage?

However, the Congress' denial of acknowledgement to its leader also exemplifies the art of scoring self-goals that it has mastered. The party, which released its own list of four leaders to be included in the all-party delegation, skipping Tharoor. Its actions have been seen as resentful with the BJP seizing the moment and accusing the Congress of prioritizing its internal politics over national interest.

Secondly, Tharoor isn't the only Congress leader that the Centre has picked for its global outreach -- Manish Tewari, Salman Khurshid and Amar Singh are also part of the list. Jairam Ramesh, the party's general secretary in-charge of communications, however, clarified that the four leaders chosen by the Centre were not representatives of the party, and may be following the voice of their "antaraatma" and accused the government of acting in bad faith.

By breaking ranks with the Centre after promising unflinching support in the Pahalgam aftermath, the party has also isolated itself within the Opposition with parties like DMK, NCP(SP) readily agreeing to the invitation to be part of the delegations.

For now, as per a report by CNN-News18, the Congress is in a wait-and-watch mode on Tharoor. While a powerful lobby within Congress feels it was time to let go of Tharoor, it is also wary that any action against him would allow the BJP another opportunity to go after it and also discredit the party's stand on unconditional support to the Centre in the Pahalgam aftermath.

For now, the Congress will be watching Tharoor's moves closely and act when it sees fit. Having burnt its fingers with leaders like Jyotiraditya Scindia, Jitendra Prasad and several others, it is no mood to allow Tharoor to spring another surprise.