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Mint
7 days ago
- Politics
- Mint
Congress points to passage from Shashi Tharoor's own book to slam his praise for Modi Govt over Op Sindoor
The Congress party continues to criticise its Member of Parliament (MP) Shashi Tharoor for his praise of Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Union government abroad on India's military action in Pakistan. This time, the Congress pointed to, Tharoor's own book where he had criticised the Modi government for 'shamelessly exploiting' the 2016 surgical strikes. Tharoor, who is taking India case post Operation Sindoor in foreign countries, has with his remarks seemingly riled his party for showing support for the Modi government over recent military actions across the border in Pakistan and Pakistan-ccupied-Kashmir (PoK). Tharoor, who is leading a multi-party delegation in a global outreach programme, said in Panama earlier this week that India has changed its approach in recent years. The Thiruvananthapuram MP said what has changed in recent years is that the terrorists have also realised they will have a price to pay. The remarks didn't go well with many Congress leaders who reminded Tharoor about surgical strikes under the UPA government with Udit Raj even dubbing him 'super spokesperson' of the Bharatiya Janata Party(BJP). Congress Media and Publicity Department chairman Pawan Khera, one of the party leaders targeting Tharoor, shared a page of Tharoor's book 'The Paradixical Prime Minister: Narendra Modi And His India' The book by Tharoor is about the Prime Minister Modi and was released on 26 October 2018 by former prime minister late Manmohan Singh, P Chidambaram, Arun Shourie, and Pavan Varma. "The shameless exploitation of the 2016 'surgical strikes' along the Line of Control with Pakistan, and of a military raid in hot pursuit of rebels in Mayanmar, as a party election tool – something that the Congress had never done despite having authorised several such strikes earlier -- marked a particularly disgraceful dilution of the principle that national security issues require both discretion and non-partisanship," reads the page in the book shared by Khera on X. On 29 September 2016, teams of Indian Army Para (Special Forces) crossed the Line of Control into Pakistani-administered Kashmir to attack targets up to a kilometer within territory held by Pakistan. The raid, which later went on to be known as Surgical Strike, was carried out ten days after four militants had attacked an Indian army outpost at Uri, Jammu and Kashmir on 18 September 2016, and killed 19 soldiers. After the visible unease in the Congress, however, Tharoor said on 20 May that his remarks were about India's reprisals for terrorist attacks across the Line of Control (LoC), and not about past wars.
Time of India
7 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Should Shashi Tharoor be suspended from Congress? What party colleague Udit Raj said
Udit Raj and Shashi Tharoor (File Images) NEW DELHI: Congress leader Udit Raj on Thursday claimed that Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor is trying to malign the oldest party by saying that it has done nothing. Tharoor's statements at Panama, lauding India's counterterror strikes, have sparked strong reactions from Congress leader Udit Raj. Calling the Operation Sindoor "fake," Raj said that Tharoor defended the lack of security that happened at the Pahalgam incident, where 26 people lost their lives. "Why are you differentiating between my stand and my party's stand? Jairam Ramesh and Pawan Khera also reposted what I said yesterday..." the Congress leader said while talking to ANI. The tussle between Congress and Tharoor escalated after the latter lauded India's counter terror strikes. This remarks have upset the top brass in Congress. Responding to a question, whether Tharoor will be suspended from the party, Raj said, "That depends on the working committee, the national president, and Rahul Gandhi. If he makes incorrect statements and tries to erase Congress's history, then I am standing with Congress. I am not worried about personal gain; I am ready to sacrifice myself. He is trying to malign Congress by saying the party has done nothing. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like The Dark Truth Nobody Talks About! Expertinspector Click Here Undo You are glorifying PM Modi's fake surgical strikes. Defending, saying that security lapses happen everywhere, is a crime... You are defending even the office, defending the lack of security. Is this in national interest? Since before and after independence, they were never in national interest. Today it's all about Modi, Modi — all about the army. Modi Ji is going around wearing a uniform. Like Modi Ji went to fight? The credit of the army, the valour of the army should remain with the army. It should be given to the army." The row stems from Tharoor's recent remarks at a multi-party delegation meeting in Panama. The Thiruvananthapuram MP specifically referenced the 2016 Surgical Strike and 2019 Balakot airstrike, highlighting these operations as significant examples. These military actions, as he pointed out, showed India's determination to pursue terrorist targets in Pakistan, regardless of the Line of Control or international boundaries. In his speech, the Congress MP highlighted India's evolving military response to terrorism, noting significant shifts in strategy. He discussed three major counter-terrorism operations that demonstrated India's increasing willingness to strike across borders. He stated, "What has changed in recent years is that the terrorists have also realised they will have a price to pay; on that, let there be no doubt. When, for the first time, India breached the Line of Control between India and Pakistan to conduct a surgical strike on a terror base, a launch pad - the Uri strike in September 2015. That was already something we had not done before. Even during the Kargil War, we had not crossed the Line of Control; in Uri, we did, and then came the attack in Pulwama in January 2019. This time, we crossed not only the Line of Control but also the international border, and we struck the terrorist headquarters in Balakot. This time, we have gone beyond both of those. We have not only gone beyond the Line of Control and the international border. We have struck at the Punjabi heartland of Pakistan by hitting terror bases, training centres, and terror headquarters in nine places." Tharoor's remarks emphasised the progression from the initial Uri strike to more extensive operations, culminating in strikes across multiple locations in Pakistan's Punjab region. Interestingly, BJP came forward and defended Tharoor's statement after Udit Raj criticised him on Wednesday as well for his speech in the Panama city. Earlier Union minister Kiren Rijiju and BJP member Shehzad Poonawala came forwad and defended Tharoor's statement. Rijiju questioned the party's priorities.
Time of India
28-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Rift within Congress? Udit Raj hits out at Shashi Tharoor, calls him 'super spokesperson of BJP'
File photo NEW DELHI: Congress leader Udit Raj has strongly criticised party colleague and Lok Sabha MP Shashi Tharoor for his recent statements in Panama, accusing him of acting as a "spokesperson for the BJP's publicity stunts." During his address as part of a multi-party delegation in Panama, Tharoor discussed India's evolving approach to counter-terrorism, specifically mentioning the 2016 Surgical Strike and 2019 Balakot airstrike. He emphasized how these operations demonstrated India's willingness to cross both the Line of Control and international borders to target terrorist facilities in Pakistan. Referring to 2016's Surgical strike and 2019's Balakot airstrike in his address, the Congress MP said, "What has changed in recent years is that the terrorists have also realised they will have a price to pay; on that, let there be no doubt. When, for the first time, India breached the Line of Control between India and Pakistan to conduct a surgical strike on a terror base, a launch pad - the Uri strike in September 2015. That was already something we had not done before. Even during the Kargil War, we had not crossed the Line of Control; in Uri, we did, and then came the attack in Pulwama in January 2019. This time, we crossed not only the Line of Control but also the international border, and we struck the terrorist headquarters in Balakot. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Original Adidas Winter Track-Suit 75% Discount, Offer Only for limited days. Original Adidas Shop Now Undo This time, we have gone beyond both of those. We have not only gone beyond the Line of Control and the international border. We have struck at the Punjabi heartland of Pakistan by hitting terror bases, training centres, and terror headquarters in nine places," Tharoor said. Udit Raj took strong exception to these remarks, particularly objecting to what he perceived as Tharoor diminishing Congress's historical achievements. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Raj stated, "How could you denigrate the golden history of Congress by saying that before PM Modi, India never crossed LOC and the international border?" He cited examples from 1965 and 1971 wars, as well as surgical strikes during the UPA government, to counter Tharoor's narrative. "Congress MP Shashi Tharoor has become the super spokesperson of the BJP, speaking in favor of PM Modi and his government," Raj told ANI. He also accused the current Central government of inappropriately taking credit for the Armed Forces' actions. Interestingly, Tharoor, who is currently leading an all-party delegation to various nations including the United States, Guyana, and Panama, was not among the Congress party 's official recommendations for these outreach delegations.
