Bharat Ki Baat Sunata Hoon: Tewari On Being 'Benched' By Congress During Op Sindoor Debate

New Delhi: The Congress found itself in another controversy when party Lok Sabha member Manish Tewari sent out a tweet citing the lyrics of Manoj Kumar’s 1970 Hindi film ‘Purab aur Paschim’.

“Hai preet jahaan ki reet sada, main geet wahaan ke gaata hoon; Bharat ka rehne waala hoon, Bharat ki baat sunata hoon”, he posted on X on reportedly being "benched" by his party during the Operation Sindoor debate.

There had been intense speculation whether Tewari and Shashi Tharoor, both part of the diplomatic delegations that had been sent abroad to convey India's stand, would speak in the Lower House or not during the ongoing debate on the Pahalgam attack and Operation Sindoor.

Tewari also added fuel to speculation about internal rifts within the party after posting a cryptic message on social media. Without naming anyone directly, Tewari shared a pointed quote outside Parliament: "There is a saying in English — 'If you don't understand my silences, you will never understand my words’."

When pressed about the issue, Thiruvananthapuram MP Tharoor brushed aside questions with a terse: "Maunvrat, Maunvrat."

Congress sources on Monday said the party had asked Tharoor if he was interested in speaking during the Operation Sindoor debate but declined and instead expressed a desire to speak on 'The Indian Ports Bill, 2025'.

Since his return as part of the delegation Tharoor has reportedly faced internal criticism from the Congress high command for his involvement, and his silence appears to reflect tensions within party leadership.

The Congress was unhappy most prominently with Tharoor about its MPs being picked without the government asking for names. And then, during the delegation's speeches, the Congress MPs' praise of the Modi's government policies made the situation more complicated.