Nation is the first priority, says Shashi Tharoor amid Congress loyalty row | Watch

Congress leader Shashi Tharoor

Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Saturday responded to speculation about a possible rift with the party leadership over his praise for the Narendra Modi government regarding Operation Sindoor. Speaking at a public event in Kochi, Tharoor clarified that when it comes to matters of national security, the nation must come before party lines.

The remark came in response to a student’s question about his relationship with the Congress leadership, following his comments lauding the government’s handling of the air defence operation.

He replied, “When people like me say that we respect our parties, we have certain values and convictions that keep us in our parties, but we need to cooperate with other parties in the interest of national security.”

In a veiled reply to the Congress, the Thiruvananthapuram MP said, “Sometimes the parties feel that is disloyal to them. To my mind, the nation comes first. Parties are a means of making the nation better. So to my mind, whichever party you belong to, the objective of that party is to create a better India in its own way.”

In Kochi today, I was asking inevitable question by a high school student. While I have been steering clear of such political discussions in public, I felt a student deserved a response: pic.twitter.com/AIUpDBl0Kf

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— Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) July 19, 2025

Tharoor shared the video of the interaction on the X platform with the caption, “In Kochi today, I was asking inevitable question by a high school student. While I have been steering clear of such political discussions in public, I felt a student deserved a response.”

He also referred to the criticism he has been facing from the party’s leadership for praising the government.

“A lot of people have been very critical of me because of the stand I’ve taken supporting our armed forces and our government and what happened recently in our country and on our borders. I will stand my ground because I believe this is the right thing for the country. And when I speak of India, I speak for all Indians, not just those who may like my party,” he added.

Tharoor further quoted former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru’s lines, saying, “Who lives if India dies?” and urged the leaders and people across party lines to put differences aside when the nation is imperilled.