Amid Criticism From Congress, BJP Kiren Rijiju Defends Shashi Tharoor
Amid criticism within the Congress party over Shashi Tharoor's support for the government's Operation Sindhuri, the BJP has come out in support of the Congress leader. Union Minister Kiren Rijiju launched a scathing attack on the Congress party over statements against Tharoor, saying, "There's a limit to political desperation."
This comes after Tharoor's comments in Panama, where he led one of the seven teams during the all-party delegation visit.
"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," Rijiju said in a microblogging site X.
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! https://t.co/JiuYqpW2tN — Kiren Rijiju (@KirenRijiju) May 28, 2025
Rijiju's reaction comes after Congress leader Udit Raj questioned Tharoor's statement in Panama, alleging that he sounded like a BJP spokesperson.
"Congress MP Shashi Tharoor is the super spokesperson of the BJP, and what the BJP leaders are not saying, speaking in favour of PM Modi and the government, Shashi Tharoor is doing... Does he (Shashi Tharoor) even know what the earlier governments used to do?... They (the Central government) are taking credit for the Indian Armed Forces," Udit Raj had said.
After pledging full support to the Centre following the April 22 terror attack in Kashmir's Pahalgam, the party has now urged the government to clarify the role of US President Donald Trump in the ceasefire that followed four days of Pakistani aggression.
"Our Prime Minister has made it very clear. Operation Sindoor was necessary because these terrorists came and wiped the sindoor off the foreheads of 26 women, depriving them of their husbands.... We heard their cries and India decided that the colour of the Sindoor, the vermilion colour on the forehead of our women, will also match the colour of the blood of the killers, the perpetrators, the attackers," Tharoor said in Panama.
Tharoor, a career diplomat who previously served at the United Nations before entering politics, was not among the leaders recommended by the Congress for the all-party teams. He was selected directly by the Centre, a move that the Congress openly criticised, expressing displeasure over the government's decision to bypass consultation with the party.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hindustan Times
9 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Ex-BJP leader's son, 2 others convicted of 2022 Uttarakhand receptionist murder
A court in Uttarakhand on Friday convicted three men, including the son of an expelled Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader, of murdering a 19-year-old receptionist for refusing to provide 'extra services' to a 'VIP guest' at a resort in Pauri Garhwal in 2022. The murder sparked outrage and statewide protests, prompting the Uttarakhand Police to form a special investigation team (SIT) to investigate the murder. Additional district and sessions judge Reena Negi held Pulkit Arya, the resort owner and expelled BJP leader Vinod Arya's son, Saurabh Bhaskar and Ankit Gupta guilty under the Indian Penal Code (IPC)'s sections 302 (murder), 201 (disappearance of evidence), and 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty), said their lawyer Anuj Pundir. The receptionist's body was recovered from a canal six days after her murder. The final arguments in the case concluded on May 19 as the trial lasted two years and eight months. The prosecution produced 47 witnesses, including the investigation officer. The receptionist's family has demanded capital punishment for the three convicts. 'The way those monsters killed my daughter... I have said it from the for death. We want all three to be hanged.....' said the 19-year-old woman's father. 'We hope the judiciary will deliver justice and award them the death penalty.' The SIT submitted a 500-page charge sheet in December 2022 with statements of 100 witnesses and documentary evidence, including forensic, post-mortem reports, electronic evidence from three mobile phones of the accused, and WhatsApp chats. The SIT found the resort, which was demolished over alleged illegal construction, was not registered with the Uttarakhand tourism department. The receptionist's family accused the government of apathy and threatened suicide if the prosecution lawyer in the case was not removed. Her father alleged the lawyer deliberately tried to save the accused by not bringing important facts before the court. He accused him of uploading 'objectionable videos' regarding the case on a YouTube channel, which showed he was not serious about ensuring justice. In 2024, the family claimed the guest who was refused 'extra services' was a BJP leader. A video uploaded on social media purportedly showed the woman's mother accusing chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami of making 'false promises' and doing 'nothing to ensure justice' in the case. The Congress attacked the ruling BJP and sought a judicial probe. It questioned the 'fairness in the investigation' and asked why police were not revealing the name of the VIP for whom the victim was being pressurised for sexual favours. The BJP rejected the allegations as baseless.
The Wire
12 minutes ago
- The Wire
‘Not the Statements to be Made': Karnataka HC Tells BJP MLC to Apologise to DC Over Pakistan Remarks
Menu हिंदी తెలుగు اردو Home Politics Economy World Security Law Science Society Culture Editor's Pick Opinion Support independent journalism. Donate Now Law 'Not the Statements to be Made': Karnataka HC Tells BJP MLC to Apologise to DC Over Pakistan Remarks The Wire Staff 9 minutes ago Ravikumar had accused IAS officer Tarannum of working on the orders of the Congress party and had said 'she seems to have come from Pakistan. Karnataka high court. Photo: Wikimedia Commons/Kuskela CC BY 3.0 Real journalism holds power accountable Since 2015, The Wire has done just that. But we can continue only with your support. Contribute now New Delhi: The Karnataka high court has asked Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLC N. Ravikumar to extend a direct apology to Kalaburagi deputy commissioner Fouzia Tarannum over the former's 'Pakistan' remarks against the IAS officer. While hearing the plea of Ravikumar seeking the quashing of an FIR registered against him, a vacation bench of the high court comprising Justice Suraj Govindaraj on Thursday (May 29) orally asked the MLC to extend a direct apology to Tarannum, reported Press Trust of India. On May 24, during a BJP protest, Ravikumar had accused IAS officer Tarannum of working on the orders of the Congress party and had said 'she seems to have come from Pakistan. His statement had resulted in widespread outrage and protests by a delegation of Muslim women who urged the Karnataka police to take action against the BJP leader. Following his statement, Ravikumar was booked on charges of inciting hatred against Muslims and using derogatory language by calling police officers slaves on the basis of the complaint by one Dattatreya Ikkalakhi. He was also accused of threatening and causing insult to Scheduled Caste people and District In-charge Minister Priyank Kharge. 'These are not the statements to be made. You have seen what happened in Madhya Pradesh and the Supreme Court, with a sitting minister, you are no different, you cannot be making such kind of statements,' the high court orally remarked while hearing Ravikumar's plea, reported LiveLaw. The counsel for Ravikumar submitted that an apology has been made, to which the court said, 'After making the statement the apology has to be accepted by the person. You make your apologies to the lady in question and let her accept it and you place it on record, and then we will consider this not until then.' 'This is completely unnecessary. Please apologise to her and let her accept it and place it on record and then we can consider it, until then difficult,' the court added. Make a contribution to Independent Journalism Related News Karnataka BJP Leader Asks DC 'If She is From Pakistan', Booked For Inciting Hatred Against Muslims SC Says ED is Violating Country's Federal Structure But the Same Court Had Once Emboldened the Agency Karnataka Temple Trust Issues Apology to Muslims After BJP MLA's Inflammatory Speech SC Extends Stay on BJP Minister Vijay Shah's Arrest; Closes Madhya Pradesh HC Proceedings BJP Spent 40% More on 2025 Delhi Elections Compared to 2020 'Entire Nation Ashamed of You': SC Rejects BJP Minister's Apology For Remarks on Col Sofiya Qureshi Andhra: N. Chandrababu Naidu and His Ministers – Including 8 First-Time MLAs – Take Oath Bombay HC Slams State, College For Rustication, Arrest of Student Over Post on Operation Sindoor 'Don't Want Today's Hindustan': Yashwant Sinha on How BJP, Politics and India Have Changed About Us Contact Us Support Us © Copyright. All Rights Reserved.
News18
15 minutes ago
- News18
Mamata Downplays Op Sindoor In Bengal, Abhishek Praises It Abroad: TMC's ‘Divide & Rule' Strategy
Last Updated: Abhishek's travel abroad to burnish India's image using Operation Sindoor and Mamata Banerjee's criticism of the action back home are part of a strategy, say political experts Even as India is revelling in the success of Operation Sindoor against Pakistan, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee downplayed it in a press briefing in Kolkata held after PM Narendra Modi's address in north Bengal on Thursday. 'It was not a war, but a small skirmish", she said, to the surprise of many. At a time when her party Trinamool Congress's general secretary Abhishek Banerjee is travelling abroad as part of India's official delegation to spread the word on Operation Sindoor on a global platform, the TMC, like some other opposition parties, was expected to align with the national sentiment. However, Banerjee dismissed the military operation, questioning its name, launching personal attacks on the PM, and accusing him of indulging in 'war marketing". Banerjee picked Abhishek to be part of the delegation. Political analysts say this apparent contradiction is not about creating confusion, but a calculated move – it is a mix of electoral-political needs and national posturing. It is also about Banerjee's old-school identity politics versus Abhishek's emerging ambition for a national, centrist image, they said. Here is a breakdown of the seemingly 'confusing' statements. WHY DILUTING OPERATION SINDOOR IS KEY TO UNDERMINING MODI With assembly elections approaching in 2026, Banerjee is back in full election mode – not just as a regional leader, but as a hyperlocal tactician. The process was accelerated after PM Modi's visit and address in north Bengal, invoking nationalism through Operation Sindoor. Banerjee still remembers the aftermath of the Balakot strike in 2019. Her party lost 18 Lok Sabha seats, and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) became a formidable opposition. However, since then, things have changed on political and organisational level. The TMC has regained lost ground in some regions. But a seasoned politician like Banerjee does not want to take chances. Her calculated dismissal of Operation Sindoor is not anti-national, it is pro-survival. The TMC has been losing political capital since 2019, and with the BJP making aggressive inroads in border districts and SC/ST belts, she needs to keep her core Muslim base consolidated. Her rhetoric is crafted for local consumption, not for national applause. I am glad to see all-party delegation visiting various countries as part of India's global outreach against terrorism. As I have consistently maintained, the AITC stands firmly behind any step the Union takes in the national interest and in defence of our sovereignty. I urge the… — Mamata Banerjee (@MamataOfficial) May 23, 2025 ' Mamata Banerjee knows Bengal politics better than anyone else. She understands that she needs to dilute the impact of Operation Sindoor. She cannot allow Modi to dominate the narrative on nationalism and influence voters in her stronghold," said senior political analyst and author Professor Biswanath Chakraborty. 'In India, foreign policy and domestic electoral politics have always operated on different planes. In Bengal, even if Modi highlights Operation Sindoor and backs the BJP with funds and visibility, the party unit here still lacks the organisational depth and logistical capacity to take on the Trinamool, which remains deeply rooted across the state. So Mamata Banerjee has to concentrate on their weakness," he added. Banerjee's 2026 assembly poll campaign will rely heavily on consolidated Muslim support, as it always has. In 2021, this demographic helped her achieve an epic comeback. But politics is a rapidly changing world. With the rise of AIMIM-style parties and the BJP's targeted Hindu vote bank strategy, Banerjee knows that even a 5% dent in the Muslim vote and a minuscule swing in Hindu votes could be disastrous for her party. Hence, her statements are carefully crafted – criticising the 'Sindoor" nomenclature (a Hindu symbol) was not accidental. It was seemingly a subtle signal to reassure her minority base that she is not endorsing a 'Hindu Rashtra' narrative. 'I might differ with the ruling dispensation or the political party, I will fight with them tooth and nail. But when it comes to the national security of my country, I will stand firmly and serve towards what is in the best interest of my nation. I will not let my political… — All India Trinamool Congress (@AITCofficial) May 28, 2025 While Abhishek travels abroad to burnish India's image using Operation Sindoor, at home, Banerjee deconstructs it. It is not a contradiction, it is a choreographed strategy, say experts. 'I don't think there is any serious internal conflict within Trinamool Congress. Mamata and Abhishek are working in sync, managing both national and regional compulsions. The party is focused on strengthening its organisation. By July, they are planning a full-scale outreach across the state. Compared to 2019, they are better organised now. They have brought in professionals to manage social media, development messaging, and grassroots coordination – without relying solely on the Chief Minister's office. In contrast, the BJP still struggles with ground-level presence and real public engagement in Bengal. That gap is widening," said Maidul Islam, professor of political science at the Centre for Studies in Social Sciences, Calcutta (CSSSC). 'When someone is part of the official delegation to talk about the country's army operation, they naturally have to praise the operation despite being members of the opposition. However, on the home front, questions are being raised about the alleged US intervention. Meanwhile, Pakistan has also made certain moves in response. So, there is also pressure for parliamentary discussion and deliberation on the matter. Within a year or less, these issues will require official clarification – both in terms of policy and public communication. Mamata Banerjee is paving that path," he added. About the Author Madhuparna Das Madhuparna Das, Associate Editor (policy) at CNN News 18, has been in journalism for nearly 14 years. She has extensively been covering politics, policy, crime and internal security issues. She has covered More Get Latest Updates on Movies, Breaking News On India, World, Live Cricket Scores, And Stock Market Updates. Also Download the News18 App to stay updated! tags : abhishek banerjee Mamata Banerjee news18 specials Trinamool Congress (TMC) Location : New Delhi, India, India First Published: May 30, 2025, 14:31 IST News politics Mamata Downplays Op Sindoor In Bengal, Abhishek Praises It Abroad: TMC's 'Divide & Rule' Strategy
