Veteran Congress leader and former Union minister Anand Sharma has stepped down as the chairman of the party’s Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), a position he held for nearly a decade. In his resignation letter to Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Sharma said the department needs reconstitution to bring in younger leaders with potential and promise, ensuring continuity and fresh perspectives in its functioning.
Sharma, a key member of the Congress Working Committee (CWC), remains with the party and continues to play a role in its leadership. He has been the Congress’s prominent face in international affairs for over four decades, contributing significantly to shaping India’s foreign policy during his tenure. Notably, he played a pivotal role in negotiations for the Indo-US nuclear deal, securing India-specific waivers at the Nuclear Suppliers Group, and establishing the India-Africa partnership through structured summits.
Sharma’s tenure saw landmark events, including representing India in the aftermath of the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, participating in all-party delegations during Operation Sindoor, and pushing for comprehensive trade agreements during his time as commerce minister, including the first-ever WTO Agreement.
Under his leadership, the DFA strengthened the Congress’s relations with political parties across Asia, Africa, the Middle East, Europe, and Latin America. The department developed institutional mechanisms for exchanging leadership delegations with global counterparts and international organizations. Sharma also spearheaded major international conferences such as the Satyagraha centenary in 2007 and the 125th birth anniversary of Jawaharlal Nehru in 2014, attended by global leaders and widely acclaimed.
From his early days as IYC president in the mid-1980s, Sharma was associated with historic events like the NAM Youth Conference in 1985 and the Anti-Apartheid Conference in 1987. His resignation marks the end of a significant chapter for Congress’s foreign affairs arm, as the party prepares to induct a new generation of leaders to navigate India’s place on the global stage.
