Manish Tewari Subtly Criticizes Congress Over Exclusion from Operation Sindoor Debate

As the Congress ramps up its attack on the Narendra Modi-led government during the ongoing Operation Sindoor debate in Parliament, its internal divisions are drawing attention and weakening its position as the main Opposition.

Amid questions over senior leader Shashi Tharoor’s absence from the debate, another Congress MP’s social media post has stirred controversy and given the BJP more material to criticize the party.

Manish Tewari’s Post Fuels Speculation

Chandigarh MP and former Union Minister Manish Tewari posted a screenshot of a news report questioning why he and Tharoor were sidelined in the debate.

Tewari added a caption quoting the classic patriotic song from the 1970 film Purab Aur Pachhim:
“Hai preet jahaan ki reet sada, main geet wahaan ke gaata hoon, Bharat ka rehne waala hoon, Bharat ki baat sunata hoon. Jai Hind,” he wrote on X (formerly Twitter).

When questioned outside Parliament, Tewari responded cryptically, saying, “There is a saying in English, ‘If you don’t understand my silence, you will never understand my words’.”

Omitted from the Speaker List

Both Manish Tewari and Shashi Tharoor were not included in the Congress list of speakers for the crucial debate. Notably, they were part of Indian delegations that visited other countries as part of India’s global outreach following Operation Sindoor.

Amar Singh, Congress MP from Fatehgarh Sahib, also part of a delegation, was not on the list either.

Veteran Congress figures Anand Sharma and Salman Khurshid were among the delegations but are not current MPs.

Some reports suggested that Tewari had expressed interest in speaking during the debate but was declined by the party leadership.

It was speculated that the Congress was wary that those who were part of official delegations abroad might not deliver strong enough criticisms of the Modi government during the debate.

Tharoor Chooses Silence

As the debate began, the absence of Shashi Tharoor’s name from the speaker list raised eyebrows. A former diplomat and skilled orator, Tharoor was seen as a natural choice.

When asked about his omission outside Parliament, he replied with a smile and a single word: “maunvrat” — indicating a vow of silence.

Sources revealed that Tharoor had refused to follow the Congress’s strict line during the debate, unwilling to contradict his earlier public statements for the sake of party messaging.

His stance follows months of friction between him and the Congress leadership, especially after his comments following the Pahalgam terror attack and the subsequent Indian military action under Operation Sindoor.

Recently, Tharoor reiterated his nationalistic views, saying, “Parties are a means of making the nation better. So to my mind, whichever party you belong to, the objective of that party is to create a better India in its own way,” adding that his “first loyalty” is to the country.

BJP Reacts Swiftly

The BJP wasted no time seizing on the apparent rift within the Congress. Senior BJP leader Baijayant Jay Panda said, “There are several leaders in your (Congress) party who can speak well… My friend Shashi Tharoor Ji, who is a good speaker, is not allowed to speak by his party.”

Hours after it was confirmed that he would not speak in the Lok Sabha debate on Operation Sindoor, Tewari made his post quoting the patriotic song, further intensifying the speculation around the Congress’s internal disagreements.

Congress Messaging Undermined

While the Congress is attempting to hold the Modi government accountable on Operation Sindoor, its internal struggles are clouding the party’s narrative.

The exclusion of respected leaders like Tharoor and Tewari has led to questions about the party’s strategy and unity.

Manish Tewari’s post, quoting “Hai preet jahaan ki reet sada…” from Purab Aur Pachhim, is being widely interpreted as a subtle expression of dissent.

Meanwhile, Shashi Tharoor’s silence is being seen as a principled stand against messaging he could not personally support.

The Congress leadership has so far not issued an official statement addressing the controversy, while the BJP continues to highlight these signs of disunity as evidence of the Opposition’s faltering credibility.