The multi-party delegation of Indian parliamentarians had an “extremely rewarding” day meeting US Congressmen and Senators at Capitol Hill, briefing them about “Operation Sindoor” and India’s fight against terrorism, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor said ... during a conversation at the National Press Club. Tharoor added, every single person the team met so far had immediately not only condemned resolutely the terrorist attack upon India, expressed outrage and sympathy, but also explicitly endorsed India’s right to defend itself against terrorism. SUCH expressions are available from each and every member of all the Indian delegations now visiting more than thirty countries.

 

Each member of each delegation, the leader of each team has similar experiences to share -- in a voice tinged with legitimate pride of having served the national interest. What was termed as a political masterstroke of Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi to involve political parties across ideological divides, is now getting accepted as a successful national mission. Very rarely has India seen such a spectacle of unity and harmony in what may be described as Track Two diplomacy. Though every member of every delegations had a great time fulfilling the national responsibility, a person of the eminence of Dr. Shashi Tharoor shone in an altogether different light -- in the sense, he found himself on a familiar ground of diplomacy doing which he had spent a lot of years in the ecosystem of the United Nations. Though every delegation-leader and every member did a great job, the way Dr. Tharoor conducted himself was altogether different, showing a superior understanding.

 

Let alone the fact that he is now in the Congress party, Dr. Tharoor deserves only such assignments that rise well above the trappings of petty politics. He is a master of the craft of diplomacy. He is also a master of the craft of language. And like anybody who has immense self-respect, Dr. Tharoor also has a good idea of the influencer-effect his diplomatic outings often create. So, as he delves deeper into the assignment, Dr. Shashi Tharoor starts shining like the evening star, his face radiating great confidence. True, as he pursued domestic politics and won his parliamentary seat a couple of times, Dr. Tharoor did get embroiled in undesirable details that slurred his image to an extent. Yet, his scholarship, the number of his extremely well-received books, his oratorical skills and his straightforward assertions also won him much accolade. All these attributes of the man are now coming to fore in the most extraordinary manner as he leads a delegation to different countries.

 

His speeches are being seen and heard by countless lakhs of Indians (all of whom may not be his personal fans or followers) with much interest and quoted in different forums. Thus, having seen his performance on the current mission-mode engagement for the country, one feels strongly that Dr. Tharoor belongs to this domain of diplomacy and national advocacy -- and not to the one of petty politics where personalities unfortunately matter more that principles. Of this sad reality, Dr. Tharoor has had ample experience during his candidature for the post Congress party’s national president. During those days, he fought a hard battle, but accepted the negative verdict with grace and expected the party to start rectifying its faults -- which did not happen. Yet, credit must go to him for his steadfast faith in the Congress as an organisation from whose platform he must function in national interest. However, a greater credit must be given to him for showing courage to appreciate foreign policy handling by Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi -- which went against his party’s stated stance.

 

Thanks to the riling he received with his party because of his praise of Mr. Narendra Modi, Mr. Tharoor may get expelled from the Congress party, if the political rumours come true. In that eventuality, he may (or may not)be invited to join the Bharatiya Janata Party -- and gain a political acceptance in an altogether different league. No matter that, as he travelled to several counties leading the delegation, Dr. Shashi Tharoor earned himself a genuine national goodwill. Every other member of delegations belonging to the Opposition camp also earned much appreciation. Persons like Mr. Asaduddin Owaisi also became darlings of the masses as they advocated India’s national policy with aplomb. All those personalities put together, India created a great show of democratic maturity for the world’s consumption. But within this larger story of all delegations, the story of Dr. Shashi Tharoor merits a special attention and special mention. Though he belongs to the Congress party, he always appeared to be above the general level of the party’s membership and leadership. The way Dr. Tharoor talks and walks, the way he interacts with his peers and others, has earned him many fans across party lines. He is, of course, not without his faults and foibles. Yet, he has also emerged as a hero of the country’s latest multi-party diplomatic campaign. People know, he deserves a better deal at all levels.