Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, in his capacity as Chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs, on Monday, 22 June visited the Regional Passport Office in Jammu as part of a broader tour of Jammu and Kashmir focused on reviewing India-Pakistan and Sino-Indian relations, as well as the functioning of passport services in the region. The visit — which also included a meeting with Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha — drew both political attention and a rare moment of cross-party warmth.

Purpose of the Committee Visit

The Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs, chaired by Tharoor, undertook the J&K tour to assess the operational status of the Passport Seva Kendra in Jammu and review the state of India's external-affairs-related infrastructure in the region. Tharoor was categorical that the committee's mandate covered external affairs — including India-Pakistan and Sino-Indian relations — and did not extend to domestic security or internal governance matters.

After his meeting with L-G Manoj Sinha, Tharoor remarked that Jammu and Kashmir was 'inching towards normalcy,' a characterisation that drew mixed reactions from local political circles.

Criticism from Congress's J&K Unit

The visit was not without controversy within Tharoor's own party. The Congress's Jammu and Kashmir unit criticised him for not meeting party workers or engaging with local residents during his itinerary. Youth leaders argued that his 'normalcy' remark failed to reflect ground realities in the region. Tharoor maintained that such engagement fell outside the committee's defined scope.

The Moment That Went Viral

The most widely shared episode of the visit came when Tharoor's delegation, after receiving a welcome from traditional folk dancers at the Regional Passport Office, noticed a pharmacy tucked into a corner of the same building — the former consultation clinic of Union Minister Jitendra Singh, who practised there as a Diabetologist and Physician for over two decades before entering politics.

Tharoor shared the discovery on X, writing: 'While at the Regional Passport Office in Jammu, and after a warm welcome from traditional folk dancers, we popped by to take a look at the pharmacy that served for 20 years as the clinic where the local MP Jitendra Singh practised before becoming Minister in the PMO. It's in a corner of the same building. A welcome reminder that for most MPs, there's real life before and after politics! It was a pleasure, Jitendra Singh! I, too, wish you could have been with us… But you were celebrated in absentia!!'

Jitendra Singh's Response and the Family Connection

Responding warmly, Jitendra Singh revealed a personal dimension to the encounter that few had anticipated. He disclosed that it was in that very clinic at Auqaf Complex, Gandhi Nagar, that he had treated Tharoor's mother-in-law and the late Sunanda Pushkar's mother, Mrs Das, who had Type 2 Diabetes and was under his regular follow-up care.

'These days, the chamber is occupied by a pharmacy outlet,' Singh noted, adding: 'Thanks, Shashi ji, it was very inspiring… I wish I had accompanied you, if only I knew you were going to be in Jammu.' The exchange between two politicians from rival parties underscored how personal histories can quietly bridge political divides.

What the Exchange Signals

The Tharoor-Singh interaction, conducted publicly on X, offered a rare glimpse of bipartisan civility in an otherwise polarised political climate. It also drew attention to the pre-political careers of elected representatives — a thread Tharoor himself highlighted in his post. As the committee's findings on passport operations and external-affairs infrastructure in J&K are awaited, the human moment at the Auqaf Complex may well be what this visit is remembered for.