Shashi Tharoor Breaks Silence On Congress Rift, Stands Unapologetic On Operation Sindoor, Says He Never Violated Party Line

Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Saturday rejected any claim of going against the party line, saying that he has “at no stage violated any of the Congress’ positions in Parliament.”

He said the only instance of public disagreement on principle was after the Pahalgam terror attack and the response through Operation Sindoor, for which he remains unapologetic.

“After the terror attack, which killed 26 people, the Congress leader had said that the act ‘cannot go unpunished, there has to be a kinetic response. I have at no stage violated any of the Congress’ positions in Parliament; the only issue on which there has been public disagreement on principle is about Operation Sindoor, where I did take a very strong stand, and I remain unapologetic about that,’ Tharoor said.

Shashi Tharoor upset with Congress party?

“After Pahalgam happened, I myself, as an observer and commentator, I had written a column in the Indian Express, which I think I gave the title ‘After Pahalgam’, they gave it a title ‘Hit Hard, Hit Smart’. I said in that article – this cannot go unpunished; there has to be a kinetic response.”

Tharoor’s comments come amid speculation that he was upset with party leaders, particularly Rahul Gandhi, during a Congress event in Kochi on January 19. Reports said that while Gandhi entered the stage and was greeted by multiple party leaders, Tharoor was not, prompting rumours of tension.

Following the Kochi event, Tharoor reportedly skipped an All India Congress Committee (AICC) meeting due to a prior engagement at the Kerala Literature Festival. However, he did attend a Prime Minister’s event in Thiruvananthapuram, where PM Modi inaugurated multiple Bharat trains. The AICC meeting was attended by party leaders including Mallikarjun Kharge, KC Venugopal, Rahul Gandhi, Jairam Ramesh, Deepa Dasmunshi, Meira Kumar, and others.

Congress leaders have dismissed any notion of anger between Tharoor and the leadership.

“He spoke to the leaders about that, and I guess the leaders have given him permission to be there. This is not about him skipping the meeting. It is an important literary festival in Kerala that he attends every year. This is about our pathway ahead,” said Shafi Parambil.

“It is also very important for the party and for us, so he is releasing that (his book), that is why he sent us a message. Party is his priority, he was just in an event with Rahul. It is also very important for the party and for us, so he is releasing that (his book), that is why he sent us a message. Party is his priority, he was just in an event with Rahul. No, no, nothing like that. Tharoor is very happy with the Congress party and the central leadership; there is no difference of opinion on this,” added Deepa Dasmunshi, AICC General Secretary.

Tharoor had also been part of the multi-party delegation on Operation Sindoor, which visited several countries to present India’s stance after the Pahalgam terror attack. At the time, he was criticised by some party leaders because other prominent leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, Jairam Ramesh, and Mallikarjun Kharge, were not invited.

(With inputs from ANI)

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