‘Why does it hate Shashi Tharoor?’: BJP leader's ‘merit suppressed’ allegation at Congress over delegation row

The BJP leader's remark came after the Congress Party criticised the Centre for "sidelining" the opposition by not including Lok Sabha LoP, Rahul Gandhi.

Amid the ongoing row over the selection of leaders for India's diplomatic outreach mission, BJP leader Gourav Vallabh on Saturday accused the Congress of sidelining its own senior MP Shashi Tharoor, questioning why the party "hates its leaders so much."

Congress said that despite Shashi Tharoor's name not being given by the party, the government had decided to have him lead a group of MPs to US and other countries.(PTI)

The BJP leader's remark came after the Congress Party criticised the Centre for "sidelining" the opposition by not including Lok Sabha LoP, Rahul Gandhi.

"In Congress merit is suppressed, chamchagiri (sycophancy) and other things are promoted. Congress should clarify why it hates Tharoor so much. When the Prime Minister of the country, the government, wants Tharoor to represent the country, then what problem does the Congress have with this? The only problem is that he is moving ahead on merit," Vallabh told ANI on Saturday.

The row was triggered by the government’s selection of Tharoor to head a group of MPs visiting the United States, Panama, Guyana, Brazil, and Colombia as part of a global outreach campaign to brief nations about Pakistan’s state-sponsored terrorism and India's response through Operation Sindoor.

Earlier, Union Minister and West Bengal BJP president Sukanata Majumdar said that Tharoor's selection is likely to be based on his knowledge and experience with the External Affairs Ministry. He also highlighted that ultimately it is the Prime Minister's prerogative who he chooses to represent the country.

Why is Congress criticising the BJP?

The Congress on Saturday claimed that it had given the names of four party leaders to be selected as part of the all-party delegation. Tharoor was not named by the party.

The party proposed Anand Sharma, Gaurav Gogoi, Syed Naseer Hussain, and Amrinder Singh Raja Warring. Out of them, only Anand Sharma was selected.

Meanwhile, Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh called the government’s selection process “dishonest”, accusing it of playing politics on matters of national interest.

Congress MP Manickam Tagore also alleged that PM Modi had sidelined the Opposition.

Shashi Tharoor to head India's delegation to the US

Besides Tharoor, Congress leaders Manish Tewari, Amar Singh and Salman Khurshid are part of the delegations.

The team led by Tharoor comprises Shambhavi (LJP-RV), Sarfaraz Ahmed (JMM), G M Harish Balayogi (TDP), Shashank Mani Tripathi (BJP), Bhubaneshwar Kalita (BJP), Milind Deora (Shiv Sena), Tejasvi Surya (BJP) and former diplomat Taranjit Sandhu.

It will travel to the US, Panama, Guyana, Colombia and Brazil.

(with ANI inputs)