Kolkata: The relationship between Shashi Tharoor, the prominent Lok Sabha MP and the party he belongs to is only getting more strained. After receiving backlash from some Congress leaders for being part of the Centre’s delegation to foreign lands on the topic of Operation Sindoor, Tharoor has now delivered a sharp response. Reportedly, his party colleagues took a jab at the veteran politicians for praising the Narendra Modi government’s fight against terrorism.
He said that “critics and trolls are welcome to distort his views while he has “better things to do”. Notably, Tharoor is heading a delegation as part of the Centre’s global outreach after the Pahalgam terror attack and Operation Sindoor. The delegation has attended events in the US and Panama and is now headed to Bogota.
Tharoor posted from his official X (formerly Twitter) account, “After a long and successful day in Panama, I have to wind up at midnight here with departure for Bogota, Colombia in six hours, so I don’t really have time for this. He then attacked his critics and wrote, “But anyway: For those zealots fulminating about my supposed ignorance of Indian valour across the LoC: in the past 1. I was clearly and explicitly speaking only about reprisals for terrorist attacks and not about previous wars; 2. My remarks were preceded by a reference to the several attacks that have taken place in recent years alone, during which previous Indian responses were both restrained and constrained by our responsible respect for the LoC and the IB.”
After a long and successful day in Panama, i have to wind up at midnightvhere with departure for Bogota, Colombia in six hours, so I don’t really have time for this — but anyway: For those zealots fulminating about my supposed ignorance of Indian valour across the LoC: in tge…
— Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) May 29, 2025
He ended his attack by saying that “critics and trolls” are welcome as usual to distort his words and views as per their convenience and he has better things to do. While his post has two typos, people have ignored them due to the message it carries.
Congress leaders attack Tharoor
While Tharoor has become a favourite to the critics and a section of the government due to his views on the Pahalgam attack and Operation Sindoor, many senior leaders in Congress are clearly not amused. Some have earlier said that Tharoor’s remarks do not reflect Congress’s stand. During his speech in front of a gathering in Panama City, Tharoor hailed the Centre for the Uri strike, Balakot airstrike, and Operation Sindoor.
Congress leader Udit Raj has heavily criticized Tharoor and said, “Congress MP Shashi Tharoor is the super spokesperson of the BJP. He doing Modi ji’s chamchagiri (flattery) more than BJP leaders. Does he even know what the earlier governments used to do? They (the Centre) are taking credit for the Indian Armed Forces. Shashi Tharoor has become the spokesperson for the publicity stunts of the BJP.”
Senior Congress leaders Jairam Ramesh and Pawan Khera have also joined in the bandwagon of attacking Tharoor, reportedly reflecting the stance of the Congress high command. Notably, in 2022, Tharoor contested against Mallikarjun Kharge for the party president’s post with the latter backed by the Gandhi family. Notably, Congress did not suggest Tharoor’s name while giving its list of candidates as part of the Centre’s delegations travelling abroad.
