New Delhi: Just hours ahead of the start of the debate on Operation Sindoor in Lok Sabha, Congress sources on Monday claimed that it had approached Shashi Tharoor asking him to be a speaker, but the Thiruvanthapuram MP declined.
Sources said Congress Lok Sabha Deputy Leader Gaurav Gogoi spoke to Tharoor on the instructions of Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, but he expressed his inability to participate in the debate.
However, there was no immediate response from Tharoor, who is at loggerheads with the party on a variety of issues, including the stand on Operation Sindoor. Sources indicated that Tharoor told party managers that he would prefer to speak on a Bill and would not like to speak in the debate.
Congress has issued a Whip to its Lok Sabha MPs asking them to be present in the House and “support the party stand” in the business of the House in the next three days ending Wednesday. Tharoor’s stand on Operation Sindoor is in variance with the party.
The Congress’s move to ask Tharoor to speak appears to be a plan to make the flamboyant MP toe the party line on Operation Sindoor. It also allowed the party to send a message that it is not vindictive to Tharoor and is giving him opportunities.
However, Tharoor chose not to accept it, as he has publicly praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Operation Sindoor and accepted chairmanship of one of the multi-party delegations sent by the government abroad, much to the chagrin of the Congress.
Congress had given four names to be included in the delegations, but the government had only accepted the recommendation for Anand Sharma while choosing Tharoor, Manish Tewari, Salman Khurshid, and Amar Singh to be part of the teams.
