Only one Congress nominee included: Party alleges ‘deliberate snub’ by Centre in Operation Sindoor multi-party delegations

Jairam Ramesh has alleged that the Centre had asked the party on the morning of May 16 to propose four names of MPs or senior leaders to be part of the delegations.

The Congress, in the early hours of Sunday, lashed out at the Narendra Modi government for sidelining the Opposition in the composition of key all-party delegations being dispatched abroad to present India’s position on cross-border terrorism, particularly from Pakistan.

Describing the move as a “deliberate snub,” the party alleged that the Centre was indulging in “cheap political games” even on serious national security matters.

The criticism comes after the government unveiled the final list of 51 members, across seven delegations, who will represent India in 32 countries and the European Union as part of Operation Sindoor, India’s diplomatic campaign to counter terrorism narratives following the Pahalgam attack.

Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh, taking to microblogging site X, alleged that the government had asked the party on the morning of May 16 to propose four names of MPs or senior leaders to be part of the delegations.

These names - Anand Sharma, Gaurav Gogoi, Syed Naseer Hussain, and Amrinder Singh Raja Warring - were submitted in writing by the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha to the Minister of Parliamentary Affairs by noon the same day.

However, Ramesh, in the post on Congress' official X account, alleges that when the official list was released late on May 17, only Anand Sharma from the party's recommended list was included.

The Centre instead selected three other Congress leaders - Shashi Tharoor, Amar Singh, and Manish Tewari - whose names were not among those proposed by the party, he notes.

The Congress views this move as an attempt to create internal divisions within the party.

Ramesh remarked that the inclusion of certain MPs who the party leadership had not nominated appeared to be a strategy by the BJP-led government to provoke factionalism.

“Most regrettably, only one of the four names suggested by the INC leadership has been included. This proves the complete insincerity of the Modi Government and shows the cheap political games it always plays on serious national issues,” the Congress said in its statement.

Statement by Shri Jairam RameshOn May 16th morning the Modi Govt asked for 4 names of Congress MPs/leaders to represent the INC in the delegations being sent abroad to explain India' stance on terrorism from Pakistan. These 4 names were conveyed in writing by the LoP Lok Sabha
Congress (@INCIndia) May 17, 2025

Despite its objections, nevertheless, the Congress said its members named by the government would participate in the delegations and contribute meaningfully. The party, however, reiterated that it would not be drawn into partisan politics on matters of national interest and would continue to uphold the traditions of parliamentary democracy.

"The 4 eminent Congress MPs/leaders who have been included at the instance of the Modi Govt will, of course, go with the delegations and make their contributions. The INC will not stoop to the pathetic level of the PM and the BJP. It will always uphold the finest traditions of Parliamentary democracy and not play partisan politics on national security issues, like the BJP does," Ramesh wrote on X.

Even as it extended its best wishes to the delegations, the Congress insisted that the foreign outreach must not deflect attention from more pressing domestic demands. These include an all-party meeting chaired by the Prime Minister and a special session of Parliament to reaffirm the February 22, 1994, resolution on Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and to review developments in the three decades since.