New Delhi, August 10, 2025 : Senior Congress leader and former Union minister Anand Sharma has stepped down as chairman of the party’s Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) after nearly a decade in the role. His resignation, submitted to Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Sunday, aims to pave the way for the department’s reconstitution and the inclusion of younger leaders.

In his resignation letter, Sharma expressed gratitude to the party leadership for entrusting him with the responsibility, but reiterated his earlier suggestion that the DFA needs fresh leadership. “The committee needs to be reconstituted to bring in younger leaders of potential and promise. That will ensure continuity in its functioning,” he wrote.

The National Committee of the Department of Foreign Affairs was last constituted in 2018, and Sharma has been one of the Congress’s most prominent voices on international matters for nearly four decades. A member of the Congress Working Committee (CWC), he will continue to serve as a party member despite relinquishing his DFA role.

Sharma’s political career has been marked by significant contributions to India’s foreign relations. He played a key role in the Indo-US nuclear deal negotiations, securing India-specific waivers at the Nuclear Suppliers Group, and institutionalising the India-Africa partnership, including the landmark first India-Africa Summit. He has represented India abroad in several high-level delegations, including after the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks and in the wake of Operation Sindoor.

During his tenure as commerce minister, Sharma oversaw the signing of the first-ever WTO Agreement and comprehensive trade pacts. His leadership in the DFA focused on strengthening Congress’s ties with like-minded political parties globally, promoting values of democracy, equality, and human rights. The department built strong links with political entities across Asia, Africa, the Middle East, Europe, and Latin America, and developed systems for regular leadership exchanges with fraternal parties and international organisations.

Sharma recalled his long association with the party’s international outreach, dating back to his tenure as Indian Youth Congress president in the mid-1980s. He was involved in key events such as the NAM Youth Conference in 1985 and the globally acclaimed Anti-Apartheid Conference in 1987. Under his guidance, Congress hosted the Satyagraha Centenary Conference in 2007 and the 125th birth anniversary celebrations of Jawaharlal Nehru in 2014, both attended by global leaders and praised worldwide.

While his departure marks the end of an era for the DFA, Sharma’s decision reflects a push towards generational change within the Congress’s leadership structure. The party will now look to appoint a successor who can maintain international relationships while bringing in renewed energy and perspectives.

Sharma’s resignation is seen as both a symbolic and practical move, signalling the Congress’s intent to balance its experienced leadership with the infusion of younger voices, in line with evolving global political challenges and opportunities.