'Have some differences of opinion': Shashi Tharoor hints at rift with Congress leadership, says will speak at the right time

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Thursday acknowledged internal disagreements with his party, saying, "I have been working in Congress for the past 16 years. I have some differences of opinion with the party, and I will discuss them inside the party. Today I don't want to speak it. I need to meet and talk, let the time come, and I will discuss it."

His comments come amid growing tensions between the Congress leadership and Tharoor, after his remarks abroad on surgical strikes and the India-Pakistan ceasefire diverged from the party's line.

While leading a multi-party delegation in Panama, Tharoor endorsed the military actions across the Line of Control. "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 2016,” he said.

He further noted, “India did not cross the LoC during the Kargil War,” and highlighted that in 2019, following the Pulwama attacks, India “went a step further by crossing not only the LoC but even the International Border.”

These comments have drawn criticism within Congress, with party sources expressing concern that Tharoor's statements provide political cover for the Narendra Modi government, especially after Operation Sindoor, which saw India strike terror camps in Pakistan.

The Congress party has maintained that multiple surgical strikes were conducted during the UPA era but were not publicised. Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera posted an interview of former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to support that stance.

In response to US President Donald Trump’s suggestion that his intervention led to the India-Pakistan ceasefire, Tharoor said from Brazil: "We have enormous respect for the American presidency, and we will speak with that respect in mind. But broadly speaking, our understanding is a bit different...No one needed to persuade us to stop." 

"We had already said to stop. If there was any persuasion by the American president or his senior officials, it would have been persuasion of the Pakistanis. They would have had to be persuaded. We don’t need to be persuaded because we don't want war. We want to focus on development. That’s the basic message."

Tharoor's remarks also run counter to the Congress' line of attack. Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi has claimed that Prime Minister Modi agreed to a ceasefire only after receiving a call from Trump. In contrast, Tharoor rejected the idea of American mediation, stating, "We don't need to be persuaded because we don't want war" 

Thiruvananthapuram MP also stated that his meeting with the Prime Minister was purely related to the MPs' delegation. “The discussion with the PM was only on matters related to the MPs' delegation. When an issue arises for the nation, it is our responsibility to stand with the nation. When the nation needs my service, I am always ready,” he said.

Tharoor headed one of the multi-party parliamentary delegations on a foreign tour that included stops in the US, Panama, and now Brazil. The delegation includes MPs such as Tejasvi Surya, Bhubaneswar Kalita, Milind Deora, and others.