Shashi Tharoor is facing internal heat within the Congress party, as his recent comments that India crossed the Line of Control (LoC) for the first time during the 2016 surgical strike on a terror base drew sharp reactions from his party colleagues.
Tharoor, who is leading one of the 7 all-party delegations for global outreach of Operation Sindoor and to expose Pakistan post Pahalgam terror attack, stated that India crossed the LoC "for the first time" during the 2016 surgical strike.
Tharoor said: "When, for the first time, India breached the Line of Control between India and Pakistan to conduct a surgical strike on a terror base... that was already something we had not done before."
Now, Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera has challenged these assertions by citing Tharoor's own 2018 book --' The Paradoxical Prime Minister '. In the book, Tharoor had criticised the BJP's "shameless exploitation" of the 2016 surgical strikes for electoral gains, explicitly mentioning that Congress had authorised several such operations during its tenure without politicising them.
The excerpt from the book reads: "The shameless exploitation of the 2016 'surgical strikes' along the Line of Control with Pakistan... as a party election tool – something the Congress had never had done despite having authorised several such strikes earlier."
"I agree with that Dr @ShashiTharoor who wrote about surgical strikes in his book in 2018 - ‘The Paradoxical Prime Minister'" Khera said in a post on X.
Facing backlash from party colleagues, Tharoor, earlier today, clarified his position, explaining that his comments specifically addressed retaliatory actions following terrorist attacks, not previous wars or military operations.
"After a long and successful day in Panama, I have to wind up at midnight here with departure for Bogota, Colombia in six hours, so I don’t really have time for this — but anyway: For those zealots fulminating about my supposed ignorance of Indian valour across the LoC: in the past," Tharoor said in a post on X.
"I was clearly and explicitly speaking only about reprisals for terrorist attacks and not about previous wars and my remarks were preceded by a reference to the several attacks that have taken place in recent years alone, during which previous Indian responses were both restrained and constrained by our responsible respect for the LoC and the IB," he added.
His remarks on surgical strikes also prompted a sharp response from his party colleague Udit Raj, who accused Tharoor of "denigrating" Congress's legacy.
"How could you denigrate the golden history of Congress by saying that before PM Modi, India never crossed LoC and International border?" Raj questioned.
"In 1965 Indian Army entered Pakistan at multiple points... In 1971, India tore Pakistan in two pieces, and during UPA government several surgical strikes were unleashed but drum beating was not done to encash (it) politically," he added.
Tharoor's recent statements on India-Pakistan relations have notably diverged from the Congress party's official position, particularly regarding the government's handling of US President Trump's claims about mediating a ceasefire between the two nations.
BJP rallies around Tharoor as Congress targets him
The BJP has rallied around opposition MP Shashi Tharoor as Congress continues its attack on former diplomat and Thiruvananthapuram MP.
Union minister Kiren Rijiju took to X to condemn the grand old party, responding to Udit Raj’s criticism of Tharoor. Sharing a video, Rijiju questioned the party's priorities: “Congress ka haath kiske sath? Kya Congress party mein desh ke liye bolna mana hai?” he posted in Hindi.
“We Indians must speak in one voice in crucial time at least,” he added.
In another post, Rijiju intensified his criticism, “What does the Congress party want & how much they really care for the country? Should the Indian MPs go to foreign nation and speak against India and its Prime Minister? There’s limit to political desperation!”
BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla said, "Shashi Tharoor is being attacked at the behest of Rahul Gandhi because Shashi Tharoor kept India first not (Gandhi) family. He talked about national interest, not his party’s interest. He is being attacked because he kept national policy above the vote bank (politics).”
Tharoor, who is leading one of the 7 all-party delegations for global outreach of Operation Sindoor and to expose Pakistan post Pahalgam terror attack, stated that India crossed the LoC "for the first time" during the 2016 surgical strike.
Tharoor said: "When, for the first time, India breached the Line of Control between India and Pakistan to conduct a surgical strike on a terror base... that was already something we had not done before."
Now, Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera has challenged these assertions by citing Tharoor's own 2018 book --' The Paradoxical Prime Minister '. In the book, Tharoor had criticised the BJP's "shameless exploitation" of the 2016 surgical strikes for electoral gains, explicitly mentioning that Congress had authorised several such operations during its tenure without politicising them.
I agree with that Dr @ShashiTharoor who wrote about surgical strikes in his book in 2018 - ‘The Paradoxical Prime Minister’. #ReadingNow pic.twitter.com/hAhsfwH0JT
— Pawan Khera 🇮🇳 (@Pawankhera) May 29, 2025
The excerpt from the book reads: "The shameless exploitation of the 2016 'surgical strikes' along the Line of Control with Pakistan... as a party election tool – something the Congress had never had done despite having authorised several such strikes earlier."
"I agree with that Dr @ShashiTharoor who wrote about surgical strikes in his book in 2018 - ‘The Paradoxical Prime Minister'" Khera said in a post on X.
Facing backlash from party colleagues, Tharoor, earlier today, clarified his position, explaining that his comments specifically addressed retaliatory actions following terrorist attacks, not previous wars or military operations.
"After a long and successful day in Panama, I have to wind up at midnight here with departure for Bogota, Colombia in six hours, so I don’t really have time for this — but anyway: For those zealots fulminating about my supposed ignorance of Indian valour across the LoC: in the past," Tharoor said in a post on X.
After a long and successful day in Panama, i have to wind up at midnightvhere with departure for Bogota, Colombia in six hours, so I don’t really have time for this — but anyway: For those zealots fulminating about my supposed ignorance of Indian valour across the LoC: in tge…
— Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) May 29, 2025
"I was clearly and explicitly speaking only about reprisals for terrorist attacks and not about previous wars and my remarks were preceded by a reference to the several attacks that have taken place in recent years alone, during which previous Indian responses were both restrained and constrained by our responsible respect for the LoC and the IB," he added.
His remarks on surgical strikes also prompted a sharp response from his party colleague Udit Raj, who accused Tharoor of "denigrating" Congress's legacy.
"How could you denigrate the golden history of Congress by saying that before PM Modi, India never crossed LoC and International border?" Raj questioned.
My dear @ShashiTharoor
— Dr. Udit Raj (@Dr_Uditraj) May 28, 2025
Alas ! I could prevail upon PM Modi to declare you as super spokesperson of BJP , even declaring as foreign minister before landing in India . How could you denigrate the golden history of Congress by saying that before PM Modi , India never crossed LOC… https://t.co/c88b8rX2bq
"In 1965 Indian Army entered Pakistan at multiple points... In 1971, India tore Pakistan in two pieces, and during UPA government several surgical strikes were unleashed but drum beating was not done to encash (it) politically," he added.
Tharoor's recent statements on India-Pakistan relations have notably diverged from the Congress party's official position, particularly regarding the government's handling of US President Trump's claims about mediating a ceasefire between the two nations.
BJP rallies around Tharoor as Congress targets him
The BJP has rallied around opposition MP Shashi Tharoor as Congress continues its attack on former diplomat and Thiruvananthapuram MP.
Union minister Kiren Rijiju took to X to condemn the grand old party, responding to Udit Raj’s criticism of Tharoor. Sharing a video, Rijiju questioned the party's priorities: “Congress ka haath kiske sath? Kya Congress party mein desh ke liye bolna mana hai?” he posted in Hindi.
What does the Congress party want & How much they really care for the country? Should the Indian MPs go to foreign nation and speak against India and its Prime Minister?
— Kiren Rijiju (@KirenRijiju) May 28, 2025
There’s limit to political desperation! https://t.co/JiuYqpW2tN
“We Indians must speak in one voice in crucial time at least,” he added.
In another post, Rijiju intensified his criticism, “What does the Congress party want & how much they really care for the country? Should the Indian MPs go to foreign nation and speak against India and its Prime Minister? There’s limit to political desperation!”
BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla said, "Shashi Tharoor is being attacked at the behest of Rahul Gandhi because Shashi Tharoor kept India first not (Gandhi) family. He talked about national interest, not his party’s interest. He is being attacked because he kept national policy above the vote bank (politics).”
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