'When we get back to India....': Shashi Tharoor on responding to Congress reaction to his comments abroad on Op Sindoor

Shashi Tharoor is currently leading one of the seven Indian delegations sent abroad to project India’s zero-tolerance stance on terrorism.

Amid his party slamming his comments abroad on Operation Sindoor, Congress leader Shashi Tharoor said that “this is a time now for us to focus on our mission”.

Tharoor is currently leading one of the seven Indian delegations sent abroad to project India’s zero-tolerance stance on terrorism.

“I think this is a time now for us to focus on our mission. Undoubtedly, in a thriving democracy, there are bound to be comments and criticisms, but I think at this point we can’t afford to dwell on them. When we get back to India, no doubt we’ll have our chance to speak to our colleagues, critics, and the media there. But right now we’re focused on the countries we’re coming to and getting the message out to the people here,” he told the media.

His endorsement of India’s military response to the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22 evoked reactions from his senior party colleagues.

Speaking to the Indian-American community last week in New York, Tharoor said that he works for an opposition party and not the government.

In his address at an Indian diaspora event in Panama, Tharoor said that during Operation Sindoor India for the first time breached the LoC (Line of Control) between India and Pakistan to conduct a surgical strike on a terror base.

“What has changed in recent years is that the terrorists have also realized they will have a price to pay… For the first time, India breached the LoC (Line of Control) between India and Pakistan to conduct a surgical strike on a terror base, a launch pad… (after) the Uri strike in September 2016. That was something we had not done before. Even during the Kargil War, we had not crossed the LoC,” he said.

Shortly after Tharoor mentioned India's retaliatory strikes since 2016, his party colleague Pawan Khera tagged him in a video in which former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh says that many surgical strikes were conducted during the UPA era. While Mr Khera just added a "CC", the message was clear: the Congress is not happy.

#WATCH | Brasilia, Brazil: When asked about criticism and questions raised by Congress, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor says, "I think this is a time now for us to focus on our mission. Undoubtedly, in a thriving democracy, there are bound to be comments and criticisms, but I think at pic.twitter.com/24bKFJ3dM5

ANI (@ANI) June 1, 2025

Senior leader Jairam Ramesh termed the government’s decision to include Tharoor and others in the delegations without consultation “regrettable” and a sign of “cheap political games.” “The INC will not stoop to the pathetic level of the PM and the BJP,” Ramesh had said in a post on X days ago.

Congress leader Udit Raj also suggested that Tharoor should be appointed as the "super spokesperson of the BJP".

"My dear Shashi Tharoor, Alas! I could prevail upon PM Modi to declare you as super spokesperson of BJP, even declaring (you) 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 and International border," said Raj on X.

This is not the first time that the four-term Thiruvananthapuram MP has issues with his own party. Earlier this year, he wrote an article hailing the Left Front government in Kerala. The next Kerala Legislative Assembly election is expected to be held in Kerala before May 2026.

There has been ongoing speculation about Tharoor joining the BJP before the Kerala polls. However, Tharoor, in an interview with Indian Express in early 2025, dismissed the idea of joining the BJP citing ideological differences.

“…No, every party has their own belief and history. It is not right to join other party if you can’t embrace their belief. I don’t think that is right. But there is always an option to be independent. In today’s time party is a vehicle one needs to carry organisational strength to carry those values forward," the Thiruvananthapuram MP told IE .