Congress lawmaker Shashi Tharoor on Thursday, hit back at his critics, calling them “zealots” and “trolls” and clarified that his remark—”for the first time, India breached the Line of Control to conduct a surgical strike”—was said in the context of terror attacks and not about previous wars. Tharoor was responding on X to criticism of his comment from Congress leaders about his comments that India conducted its first surgical strike in response to a terror attack in 2016. (ANI PHOTO)

He was responding on X to criticism of his comment from Congress leaders about his comments that India conducted its first surgical strike in response to a terror attack in 2016.

But while a senior Congress leader sought to play down the entire episode, others doubled down on their criticism of Tharoor, even as the Bharatiya Janata Party backed the comments.

If India’s multi-party outreach to the world to reiterate the message of Operation Sindoor and highlight Pakistan’s continued support of terror is the main feature, the Congress’ obvious, and sometimes articulated, discomfort about Tharoor’s presence on and active and enthusiastic participation in one outreach delegation, has played out like a diverting side show.

“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 — 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.

But as usual, critics and trolls are welcome to distort my views and words as they see fit. I genuinely have better things to do. Goodnight,” Tharoor said on X.

Tharoor’s rebuttal came a day after party leader Udit Raj accused him of being “dishonest” and for allegedly denigrating the “golden history” of the party. Raj suggested that would recommend to Prime Minister Narendra Modi that Tharoor be made a super-spokesperson of the BJP or as India’s foreign minister.

The government, which nominated Tharoor as a leader of one of the delegations — despite the Congress’ desire to nominate others — joined the debate. Parliamentary affairs minister Kiren Rijiju questioned the Congress’ stance. “What does the Congress party want & How much they really care for the country? Should Indian MPs go to foreign nation and speak against India and its Prime Minister? There’s limit to political desperation! We Indians must speak in one voice in crucial time at least !!” Rijiju said on X.

Senior Congress leader and party general secretary Randeep Surjewala tried to play down the entire episode on Thursday. He announced “Tharoor is a seasoned and experienced leader of the Congress and is very much part of the Congress family.

But he too insisted that Tharoor was wrong about the surgical strikes.

“Congress party only corrected (him) by pointing out that surgical strikes against Pakistan and other dens of terrorists was a regular feature even during the UPA term — to give a befitting reply to terrorists by our armed forces and the Congress governments. Those instances have been detailed in the past by the communications department (when Surjewala headed the department). Former PM Dr Manmohan Singh as himself spoken about them; Tharoor himself in his book spoken about them, and Jairam Ramesh and Pawan Khera have only put the record straight. It is not a matter of acrimony and doubt,” Surjewala added.

On Thursday, Congress’ Media department head Pawan Khera said on X that he agreed with Tharoor’s comments in the book The Paradoxical Prime Minister. He posted an image of highlighted passages in the book that said: “The shameless exploitation of the 2016 ‘surgical strikes’… and of a military raid in hot pursuit of rebels in Myanmar as a party election tool — something the Congress had never done despite having authorized several such strikes earlier….” .

Udit Raj too, hit out at Tharoor again. “Let him praise, worship, or do whatever he wants, I have no concern with that. But if he acts against the interests of the Congress party and tries to erase its history, there will be consequences,” Raj, who is the national chairman of Unorganized Workers & Employees Congress, said on Thursday.