New Delhi, March 26 -- Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Thursday strongly criticised the Central government, describing the reported emergence of Pakistan as a mediator in the ongoing West Asia conflict as a "colossal failure" of India's regional diplomacy.

He also criticised External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar alleging that he was covering up for India's embarrasment.

Writing on X, Jairam called it "truly atrocious" that Pakistan, a country with a documented history of cross-border terrorism, nuclear proliferation, and attacks on civilian populations, is being considered fit for a mediating role.

"The dapper and long-experienced External Affairs Minister is doing his best to cover up India's extreme embarrassment and the setback to...