'Hope other Congress leaders too..': BJP on Shashi Tharoor's praise for 'Delhi Declaration' consensus

A day after senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor hailed India for the ‘Delhi Declaration’ consensus, BJP on Monday said that it’s good that Tharoor sees something good in it and hoped that the rest of the Congress leaders too had the same view.

Talking to ANI news agency on Monday, the BJP MP MP Ravi Shankar Prasad said, “It is good. He (Shashi Tharoor) is a former diplomat. The manner in which India has gained a respectable position under the leadership of PM Modi, the manner in which a consensus (on G20 New Delhi Leaders’ Declaration) has been received, the manner in which the African Union has received a seat at the G20 is a significant diplomatic triumph for India…Prime Minister has done a historic work.”

“If Shashi Tharoor is seeing something good in it, it is good. I hope the rest of the leaders of Congress, including those on a foreign visit, see something good in it,” added Prasad taking a jibe at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi who is on a Europe tour.

#WATCH | BJP MP Ravi Shankar Prasad says, “It is good. He (Shashi Tharoor) is a former diplomat. The manner in which India has gained a respectable position under the leadership of PM Modi, the manner in which a consensus (on G20 New Delhi Leaders’ Declaration) has been received,… https://t.co/ql9jCkK8Fi pic.twitter.com/yA99pLJd2Z

— ANI (@ANI) September 11, 2023

On Sunday, Tharoor told ANI that the Delhi Declaration is “undoubtedly a diplomatic triumph” for India.

“It’s a good achievement because right until the G20 summit was being convened, the widespread expectation was there would be no agreement and that therefore a joint communique might not be possible. We might have to end up with a chairman’s summary,” said Tharoor.

#WATCH | On G-20 Summit, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor says, “The Delhi Declaration is undoubtedly a diplomatic triumph for India. It’s a good achievement because right until the G-20 summit was being convened, the widespread expectation was there would be no agreement and that… pic.twitter.com/Y51wr3WDWa

— ANI (@ANI) September 10, 2023

He said the reason for that, in particular, the main reason was the big gulf between those who wanted a condemnation of the Russian war in Ukraine and those, like Russia and China, who wanted no mention whatsoever of that subject.

“India was able to find a formula to bridge that gap. And that is a significant diplomatic achievement because when there is a summit without a joint communique, it is always seen as a setback for the chairman…,” added Tharoor.

Tharoor had also earlier taken to X, formerly known as Twitter, to congratulate India’s G20 Sherpa Amitabh Kant for the ‘Delhi Declaration’ consensus, and said it was a “proud moment for India at G20”.

Tagging Kant’s remarks in an interview on how the consensus was achieved on the paragraphs on Russia-Ukraine, Tharoor said in a post on X, “Well done @amitabhk87!Looks like the IFS lost an ace diplomat when you opted for the IAS!”

“‘Negotiated with Russia, China, only last night got final draft,’ says India’s G20 Sherpa on ‘Delhi Declaration’ consensus. A proud moment for India at G20!” Tharoor, a former under secretary-general, said in his post late Saturday night.

India on Saturday pulled off a big diplomatic win after the G20 summit adopted a consensus declaration overcoming major differences on the Russia-Ukraine war.

On Sunday, Kant said it took over 200 hours of non-stop negotiations by a team of Indian diplomats to deliver a consensus on the G20 declaration that was adopted at the Leaders’ Summit here.

The team of diplomats, including joint secretaries Eenam Gambhir and K Nagraj Naidu, held 300 bilateral meetings and circulated 15 drafts with their counterparts on the contentious Ukraine conflict to drive home a consensus that was clinched on the first day of the G20 Leaders Summit itself.

With inputs from agencies