Difference between 'Congress mein hona, Congress ka hona': Jairam Ramesh in dig at Tharoor

New Delhi | There is a difference between "being in the Congress and of the Congress", Jairam Ramesh said in an apparent swipe at party colleague Shashi Tharoor after a controversy over the government nominating him to lead a multi-party delegation abroad to put across India's stand against Pakistan on terrorism.

"The Congress is like the mighty Ganga, which has many tributaries… Some of them dry up and some get polluted," Ramesh, the Congress general secretary in-charge communications said but ducked questions on if there would be any action against Tharoor.

The government named Tharoor as a leader of one of the seven multi-party delegations to project India's national consensus and resolute approach to combating terrorism in all forms and manifestations and carry to the world the country's message of zero tolerance against terrorism.

Accepting the nomination to lead one of the delegations, Tharoor said in a post on X, "I am honoured by the invitation of the government of India to lead an all-party delegation to five key capitals, to present our nation's point of view on recent events." "When national interest is involved, and my services are required, I will not be found wanting. Jai Hind!" he added.

Asked about Tharoor's inclusion as a representative of the Congress in the government's list of leaders to lead the delegations abroad, Ramesh told reporters, "'Congress mein hona aur Congress ka hona mein zameen-aasmaan ka antar hai (There is a difference between being in the Congress and of the Congress).'"

In a democratic system, when individual MPs are sent as part of an official delegation, MPs must seek the concurrence of the party. If the government wants to send him as part of a delegation, the MP should be asking the party, he said.

"You (government) cannot include names of MPs (in delegations) without consulting the party," he said. "All of us belong to the party but they (government) need to consult the LoPs." According to normal practice and a good democratic system, when MPs are sent on official delegations, they should seek the concurrence of the party concerned, he further said.

Asked if there would be any further action on the matter, Ramesh said the government had asked for four names from the Congress and it had sent those four names.

There will be no change of names from the Congress' side, he added.

"The ball is in the government's court now," he said, adding that no names were discussed during Union minister Kiren Rijiju's conversation with Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and former party chief Rahul Gandhi.

The BJP, on the other hand, questioned the Congress' choice of leaders for the delegations, wondering if it did not nominate Tharoor because he outshone the party high command.

In a post on X on Saturday, Rijiju shared a government communication of names of leaders to head seven delegations to different countries that included Tharoor's name.

"In moments that matter most, Bharat stands united. Seven all-party delegations will soon visit key partner nations, carrying our shared message of zero-tolerance to terrorism. A powerful reflection of national unity above politics, beyond differences," Rijiju said in his post.