NEW DELHI, July 29 — Congress MP Manish Tewari on Tuesday appeared to express veiled dissatisfaction with the party’s decision to exclude him from the list of speakers in the ongoing Parliament debate on Operation Sindoor.
In a subtle social media post, Tewari shared a patriotic song from the 1970 film Purab Aur Pachhim along with a news article questioning the Congress’s move to sideline him and fellow MP Shashi Tharoor.
“Jahan daal daal par sone ki chidiya karti hai basera, woh Bharat desh hai mera”—the lyrics, evoking pride in Indian heritage, were posted with a link to a report titled ‘Spoke in favour of govt: Why Congress benched Shashi Tharoor, Manish Tewari during Operation Sindoor debate’.
The report underlined growing discomfort within the party over some MPs’ participation in government-formed delegations for international outreach following Operation Sindoor. Tewari and Tharoor were among those selected by the Centre to brief foreign leaders, without Congress’s prior approval. Their subsequent praise of aspects of the Modi government’s policy during those engagements reportedly complicated their standing within party ranks.
Tewari, a senior leader and sitting MP from Chandigarh, made no direct statement in the post. However, the combination of the patriotic lyrics and the article’s content appeared to signal disagreement with the party’s decision to bench him during a major national security debate.
Tharoor, when asked on Monday about his absence from the speaker lineup, responded briefly: “Maunvrat (vow of silence),” offering little but a wry smile.
The Congress’s decision to sideline two of its most articulate voices—especially on matters of foreign policy and national security—has drawn attention as the Operation Sindoor debate continues in Parliament.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah are expected to speak later in the debate, along with Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge.
