Congressman Manish Tewari has set the political scene abuzz with the not-so-glamorous turn he got by not being one of the speakers in a Lok Sabha debate on Operation Sindoor, India’s latest counter-terror military action.
Tewari, being among the most vocal defenders of national security and foreign affairs, hinted through some somewhat cryptic but evocative social media posts about how disappointed he was feeling. He posted a quote from a patriotic song “Bharat Ka Rehne Wala Hoon” from the 1970 film Purab Aur Pachhim: “Hai preet jahan ki reet sada, main geet wahan ke gata hoon, Bharat ka rehne wala hoon, Bharat ki baat sunata hoon.”
Many understood his post on platform X as a veiled taunt at the party leadership for deliberately sidelining him when no such thing should have happened, considering he had just returned from extensive diplomatic endeavors related to Operation Sindoor.
है प्रीत जहां की रीत सदा
मैं गीत वहां के गाता हूं
भारत का रहने वाला हूं
भारत की बात सुनाता हूं
Hai preet jahaan ki reet sada
Main geet wahaan ke gaata hoon
Bharat ka rehne waala hoon
Bharat ki baat sunata hoon
– Jai Hind pic.twitter.com/tP5VjiH2aD
— Manish Tewari (@ManishTewari) July 29, 2025
The Indian Express reported that Manish Tewari had written to the party leadership asking to speak at the Operation Sindoor debate, indicating his obvious desire in doing so. In spite of this, he was not one of the Congress party’s selected speakers.
Congress Additionally, the Congress did not choose delegation member MP Amar Singh to participate in the debate.
The inside party rift or strategic realignment?
The exclusion of Tharoor and Tewari, together, has raised a few brows in the political circles. Both were members of a multi-party delegation sent to represent India following the Pahalgam terror attack and the government’s military reply.
For many, the two leaders’ exclusion from the debate may have therefore either signaled a degree of internal friction or a redrawal of Congress positioning on national security. While the Congress has not publicly clarified its rationale, observers speculate that these leaders may have been deliberately excluded for being perceived as too close to the government narrative.
Tharoor Keeps His Distance, Sets the Focus Elsewhere
Adding to speculation, Tharoor is reported to have declined to speak on the Operation Sindoor motion and instead took up the matter of Indian Ports Bill, 2025. Described in media reports as a “maun vrat” or vow of silence, Tewari’s poetic protest will set the two men up as discontented members of a faction within Congress.
This obviously opens up another layer of ideological rift within the party encountered on dealing with issues of utmost sensitivity like terrorism and military action.
