How 'G-23 dissidents' are coming to Congress' rescue post Operation Sindoor

The leaders who have been part of G-23, are the ones now emerging as the Congress’ face-saver.

With Congress asking specific questions on various operational aspects of Operation Sindoor and terming Centre's move to send delegations abroad is a “meaningless optical exercise”, the G 23 grouping - a group of five leaders who spearheaded a campaign for reforms and accountability in the Congress party, has come has come to the party’s rescue.

The Congress, unlike the rest of the INDIA grouping, has decided to go on the offensive. While most party leaders feel some of the points raised by it are somewhat valid, in politics, timing is sacrosanct. Like, why label Jaishankar as Jaichand—the medieval period Kannauj ruler depicted as a “traitor"?

This would give Pakistan the upper hand against a man who has menacingly attacked their country, has not hesitated to take on many European countries for their duplicity over buying Russian oil, and who is travelling abroad to negotiate with countries to stand by India. In contrast, say Congress sources, Pakistan Army and the government are standing by their own leaders.

The five leaders who have been part of G-23, are the ones now emerging as the Congress’ face-saver. Of them, one is no longer with the Congress but has formed a party of his own — Ghulam Nabi Azad. But Manish Tewari, Salman Khurshid, Shashi Tharoor and Anand Sharma are now giving hope to some within the Congress, who are dismayed at the government’s constant name-calling, even as the multi-party delegation carries the message that Pakistan is a rogue country.

The former dissident faction, who are part of Centre's all-party delegation, are representing the Congress. They may be carrying a voice that is very different from Rahul Gandhi’s Congress, but it makes quite a few within the Congress comfortable, given that there are many polls over the next two years.

When the G-23 was attacked by many mainstream Congress leaders as they wrote a letter to Sonia Gandhi asking for the party’s image makeover, they were attacked and called traitors. It’s the same people who could now end up salvaging the image of the Congress.

Congress leader Salman Khurshid, part of an all-party Indian delegation currently visiting South Korea's Seoul, said India is now viewed globally as a major power, and must protect its growing stature. Manish Tiwari, a member of all-party delegation led by NCP (SP) MP Supriya Sule, on Monday said that the parliamentarians had a "productive and constructive" talks with Qatar's Shura Council and conveyed India's right to defend its sovereignty.

In a stern message against Pakistan's support for cross-border terrorism, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor said in Guyana on Sunday that India will never allow anybody to "get away with impunity" after killing its civilians.

The Kerala politician, who is spearheading a multi-party delegation formed to apprise the world of New Delhi's tough stance against Islamabad's overt backing of cross-border terrorism, said India won't stop at bringing "evil killers to justice" but will also challenge those financing, training and equipping terrorists.