Bharat ki baat sunata hoon: Tewari on being 'benched' by Congress during Op Sindoor debate
New Delhi (PTI): Congress MP Manish Tewari on Tuesday evoked Manoj Kumar's iconic song from "Purab aur Pashchim" -- "Bharat ka rehne waala hoon, Bharat ki baat sunata hoon" -- as he shared on X a media report on 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.
Taking to X, Tewari shared the screenshot of a media report which was headlined -- "'Spoke in favour of govt': Why Congress benched Shashi Tharoor, Manish Tewari during Operation Sindoor debate."
है प्रीत जहां की रीत सदा
— Manish Tewari (@ManishTewari) July 29, 2025
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
The report stated that none of the leaders picked by the Centre to represent India globally as part of delegations post Operation Sindoor found a place in the list of speakers from the Congress party.
Along with the screenshot of the report and a picture of him with the tricolour in the backdrop, Tewari posted, "Hai preet jahaan ki reet sada, main geet wahaan ke gaata hoon, Bharat ka rehne waala hoon, Bharat ki baat sunata hoon - Jai Hind."
These are the lyrics from a song in the 1970 Manoj Kumar starrer "Purab Aur Paschim".
Tewari did not elaborate any further on his views about the whole issue.
Congress party sources on Monday said the party had asked Tharoor if he was interested in speaking during the Operation Sindoor debate in Parliament but he declined and instead expressed a desire to speak on 'The Indian Ports Bill, 2025'.
There has been intense speculation on whether Tharoor, who led the delegation to the US among other countries, will be picked as a speaker by the Congress given that his enthusiastic endorsement of the government's action following the terror attack has soured his ties with the party.
The BJP-led ruling National Democratic Alliance and opposition parties are fielding their top guns during the discussion in the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha.
Opposition parties have framed their public criticism of the government around alleged intelligence lapses behind the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, which left 26 civilians killed, and US President Donald Trump's claims of mediating a ceasefire between India and Pakistan.
Rahul Gandhi has repeatedly attacked the government's foreign policy, claiming that India did not receive international support on Operation Sindoor and has cited Trump's frequent mediation claims to target the ruling alliance. The government has rejected Trump's claims.
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No stubble burning now, why air pollution crisis in Delhi: Mann takes dig at BJP
Chandigarh (PTI): Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Monday slammed the BJP saying its leaders used to "defame" Punjab farmers over stubble burning and blame them for Delhi's poor air quality and questioned why is there pollution crisis in national capital despite no farm fires now.
Mann said that as soon as paddy harvest takes place, BJP leaders blame Punjab and its farmers for Delhi's poor air quality.
He said they used to claim that stubble burning by Punjab farmers causes Delhi's pollution.
Mann said at present, the Air Quality Index in major Punjab cities is between 70 and 130.
"At present, Delhi's AQI is between 450 and 500 and no smoke is coming from Punjab. But the situation in Delhi is worse. At least now they should agree that there is no role of Punjab for Delhi's poor air quality," Mann said in a video message.
Mann's remarks came on a day Delhi Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa apologised for the air pollution crisis in the national capital and acknowledged its impact on children's health.
Sirsa, however, asserted that it was the result of the policies pursued by the previous Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in Delhi.
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Last month, the BJP had trashed the Punjab CM's previous claim that stubble burning in the state has no role in the high levels of air pollution in Delhi as "ridiculous".
Dismissing Mann's claim, Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva had last month said it is certain that stubble burning is a "major" factor (for the air pollution in Delhi).
Meanwhile, Mann in his video message said, due to severe floods which Punjab witnessed this year, paddy harvesting got delayed, "despite this, many Delhi ministers had already started blaming Punjab".
"I want to praise Punjab farmers, NGOs and efforts of the Punjab government have also paid off in controlling stubble burning this time. The cases of stubble burning in Punjab have reduced by 70-80 per cent and this has been acknowledged by the Central Government and the Union Agriculture Minister," Mann said.
The CM further said that after paddy harvest even the wheat crop has been sown and now, there is no incident of stubble burning.
He said BJP leaders used to claim that Punjab's smoke from stubble travels to Delhi.
"Now, there is no stubble burning, but Delhi is facing very poor air quality. This proves that earlier too Punjab's smoke had no role for Delhi's poor air quality. Only accusations were made by the BJP to defame Punjab. At least now the Centre should praise the farmers of Punjab," he said.
"Meanwhile, Delhi's AQI is between 450 and 500, flights are being cancelled, and breathing has become difficult," said Mann.
He asked both the BJP government in Delhi and the BJP led Centre to address Delhi's air pollution, saying citizens cannot even venture out for a walk due to air pollution.
He also asked the BJP that Punjab should not be dragged into this political battle, instead, Punjab's farmers should be appreciated, and the Delhi and Central governments should focus on addressing Delhi's air pollution.
Mann further said that farmers of Punjab are 'anndatas' (food providers) and they meet the country's food needs, they should not be defamed.
