What Shashi Tharoor said when asked about Rahul Gandhi's ‘PM Modi surrender' remark

Hindustan Times

a day ago

Responding to a question in the US about Rahul Gandhi's 'PM Modi surrendered' remark, Congress leader Shashi Tharoor said on Wednesday that India will continue to speak the language of force as long as Pakistan continues to speak the language of terrorism. Shashi Tharoor is currently leading a parliamentary delegation aimed at exposing Pakistan's terror links in the wake of India's Operation Sindoor.
Rahul Gandhi attacked the Bharatiya Janata Party-led government on Tuesday over allegations of mediation by the United States in Operation Sindoor. He alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi "followed" Donald Trump after the US leader called him and that the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi did not budge to the US in the 1971 war.
When a journalist asked for his reaction to his own party leader's claim, Shashi Tharoor, after a brief smile at the question, replied, 'Well, all I can say is that we have enormous respect for the American Presidency and the American President. All we can say for ourselves is that we never particularly wanted to ask anyone to mediate. We don't have any difficulty in speaking the same language as the Pakistanis.'
Tharoor said as long as Pakistan uses the language of terror, India would use the language of force.
'As long as they use the language of terrorism, we'll use the language of force that doesn't require a third party. If, on the other hand, they were to dismantle the infrastructure of terrorism, we can talk to them,' he added.
Tharoor pointed out that India didn't need to be told to stop during the recent conflict with the neighbours, as it would all stop the moment Pakistan stopped.
'If they (US) in turn then told the Pakistanis that you better stop and the Indians are willing to stop, that's a wonderful gesture on their part,' the Thiruvananthapuram MP said.
Addressing a convention of Congress workers in Madhya Pradesh's Bhopal, Rahul Gandhi said, "Now, I understand RSS-BJP well. They run away out of fear if slight pressure is put on them. When Trump called Modiji- Modiji kya kar rahe ho, Narender-Surrender and with 'ji hazooor', Narenderji followed Trump. In the 1971 war, the Seventh Fleet came from the US. India Gandhi said I will do whatever I have to do. This is the difference. This is their character; all of them are like this. Since the Independence movement, they have had the habit of writing letters of surrender."
Rahul Gandhi doubled down on his attack through a social media post, stating, "Trump's phone came, and PM Narendra Modi ji immediately surrendered. History is witness. This is the character of the BJP-RSS; they always budge. India had bifurcated Pakistan in 1971 despite the threat from the United States. The 'babbar sher' and 'shernis' of Congress fight the Superpowers, they do not bow'.