Congress MP Manish Tewari Hints at Discord After Being Dropped from Operation Sindoor Debate

New Delhi:

A quiet but pointed stir emerged on Tuesday as Congress MP Manish Tewari sent a sharp message during the intense Lok Sabha debate on Operation Sindoor.

Tewari along with senior colleague Shashi Tharoor and another delegation member Amar Singh, had been omitted from the list of Congress speakers in Parliament’s discussion of the Pahalgam terror attack and Operation Sindoor. All three had participated in official Indian delegations to foreign capitals following the strike, which reportedly caused friction within the party leadership over their vocal defence of government actions.

On Tuesday morning, Tewari posted a screenshot of a media article headlined “Spoke in favour of govt: Why Congress benched Shashi Tharoor, Manish Tewari during Operation Sindoor debate”. Over it, he shared lyrics from the Manoj Kumar film Purab Aur Paschim:

“Hai preet jahaan ki reet sada, main geet wahaan ke gaata hoon, Bharat ka rehne waala hoon, Bharat ki baat sunata hoon — Jai Hind”.

Later, when approached by journalists outside Parliament, the MP cryptically added: “If you don’t understand my silences, you will never understand my words.” He added no further comment.

This development follows speculation that Tewari had expressed interest in speaking during the debate, reportedly writing to the office of the Congress parliamentary leadership. However, the leadership chose not to field him or Tharoor, citing concerns that their views might not align strictly with the party’s messaging.

Shashi Tharoor, when queried earlier, gave a restrained reply of “Maunvrat” indicating a vow of silence, while walking away with a smile. Party insiders suggest that Tharoor’s public sympathy for India’s official line on Operation Sindoor had strained his relations with the Congress leadership.

The decision has been interpreted by political commentators as a sign of internal discord within the Congress, especially with its anticipated strategy to sharpen criticism of the government on national security. The BJP promptly seized on the omission, with senior leader Baijayant Panda remarking: “Congress is preventing its most articulate speakers from voicing Opposition views live during Parliament”.

Meanwhile, Parliament remains focused on a two-day special debate spanning both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. The government said it has allotted 16 hours in each House to discuss the Pahalgam incident and Operation Sindoor. Key ministers, including Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar are expected to present the official standpoint. Opposition leaders such as Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge will lead the counterarguments.

Tewari’s post is emblematic of a broader unease over how the Congress is managing its messaging in a high-stakes public confrontation. As the debate continues in the coming days, the sidelining of influential figures such as Tewari and Tharoor has drawn fresh scrutiny of the party’s internal dynamics. Many political observers believe that the episode underscores tensions between loyalty to collective strategy and individual political identity within the Opposition’s ranks.