Diplomacy is about ‘incrementalism’, says Congress leader Manish Tewari

Congress leader and all-party delegation member Manish Tewari. File | Photo Credit: ANI

In the face of questions raised by the Congress party on the “political value” of the people that the multi-party delegations had met, and what they had “actually accomplished” on the Centre’s international diplomatic outreach after the recent India-Pakistan conflict, delegates said diplomacy was about “incrementalism”, and was not a “20-20 cricket match”. 

Ahead of External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar’s meetings with two delegations, Congress general secretary (communication) Jairam Ramesh had said on Wednesday (June 4, 2025) in a post on X that there needed to be an “honest assessment of what was actually accomplished” and not what was “spin doctored”.

Mr. Jaishankar on Thursday (June 5, 2025) met the delegation headed by senior Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) leader K. Kanimozhi that visited Russia, Latvia, Slovenia, Greece, and Spain, and the delegation headed by senior Janata Dal-United (JD-U) leader Sanjay K. Jha that visited Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Indonesia, and Malaysia.

“There are reliable reports that the welcome in some countries was very lukewarm — to put it mildly — and that the political value of the people the MPs met was below par. Videos of the MPs engaging in silly fun and frolic while on a serious national mission have also been surfacing,” Mr. Ramesh said.

Senior Congress leader Manish Tewari, who was part the delegation led by Nationalist Congress Party-Sharadchandra Pawar (NCP-SP) MP Supriya Sule to Egypt, Qatar, Ethiopia, and South Africa, on the question of whether the tour succeeded in its aim, spoke of consolidation of gains. “Diplomacy is about incrementalism and consolidating those gains,” Mr. Tewari said. The diplomatic outreach had ensured the Indian point of view was presented concurrently in 33 countries, he added.

“The hyphenation (India-Pak) is a temporary mirage. It is only natural that when two nuclear powers are in conflict the world gets concerned,” the Congress leader said.

“We live in a contested political space. But for now, exposing Pakistan’s perfidy should be the national priority,” Mr. Tewari said on the question of criticism from his own party on the utility of such a tour.

Other delegates also contested the Congress’s claim. JD(U) leader Sanjay K. Jha said that his delegation had met the Japanese Foreign Minister, had breakfast with Ambassadors to Japan from various countries, and in Jakarta, met with ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) Ambassadors. “To criticise an all-party delegation, which spoke in one voice on such an important issue, is a new low for the Congress,” Mr. Jha said.

Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) MP John Brittas, who was part of Mr. Jha’s delegation, said it had clarified India’s viewpoint. “We didn’t go to play a 20-20 cricket match, for there to be winners or losers. Each person is entitled to their own opinion. Our delegation has laid down the foundation, clarifying India’s viewpoint, and also underlined the dangers of Pakistan-sponsored terrorism. It is for the government now to build over it,” Mr. Brittas said.

The president of the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM), Asaduddin Owaisi, who was part of a delegation led by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Baijayant Panda to Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Algeria, said that it was “subjective criticism” to claim that the delegation did not meet people of “political value”.

“Out of the four countries we visited, one (Algeria) is currently a non-permanent member of the UNSC (United Nations Security Council), and another (Bahrain) will get a seat next year. They exert influence on Pakistan and will be crucial in India’s efforts to put Pakistan on the FATF (Financial Action Task Force) grey list,” Mr. Owaisi said, adding that the delegation met top decision-making bodies in all the four countries, and also members of think tanks.

Published - June 05, 2025 11:03 pm IST