President Draupadi Murmu hosted a state dinner in honor of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Congress MP Shashi Tharoor not only reached there, but his warm meeting with Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman rubbed salt into the wounds of Congress. It is reported that Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi were kept away from this high-profile dinner. Whereas in the pictures, Tharoor was seen greeting Nirmala Sitharaman, which has increased the ‘heartburn’ within the party. Congress alleges that the government deliberately broke protocol and did not invite top opposition leaders. Jairam Ramesh confirmed that the opposition leaders of both the houses did not receive the invitation. Questions are being raised within the party regarding Tharoor’s presence in such a tense environment that when the top leadership is insulted, how can an MP go there? Some leaders have also raised questions on Tharoor’s sanity in gestures. Tharoor argues that being the Chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, he was called and this is an old tradition. However, political pundits are considering this as a well-thought-out strategy of the government. On one hand, the government ignored Rahul Gandhi, while on the other hand, by calling Tharoor, it widened the rift within the Congress. Given Tharoor’s former diplomatic background, the government gave him importance, but for the Congress, this step seems to be a departure from the party line. This incident clearly indicates that the gap between the Thiruvananthapuram MP and his party high command is continuously deepening.
