Senior Congress leader and Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor has admitted that he has some disagreements with his party. He said he will speak about them at the right time, but for now, he prefers to discuss them privately within the party.
His comments came after he was noticeably absent from the Congress campaign for the Nilambur bypoll in Kerala. Many top leaders, including Wayanad MP and national general secretary Priyanka Gandhi, campaigned for the party’s candidate Aryadan Shoukath — but Tharoor was not involved.
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Speaking to reporters, Tharoor said,
“I have worked with Congress for 16 years. I do have some differences with the party, but I will talk about them at the right time and within the party. I don’t want to speak publicly about it now.”
He also responded to criticism about his recent meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Tharoor said the meeting was only about matters concerning a delegation of MPs and had nothing to do with politics.
“When the country needs us, we must stand together. I am always ready to serve the nation,” he said.
Recently, Tharoor led an all-party delegation to the U.S. to raise awareness about India’s strong stand against terrorism. During a speech at a diaspora event in Panama, he praised Operation Sindoor — a cross-border military action after the 2016 Uri attack — calling it a turning point in India’s defense strategy. He pointed out that India had crossed the Line of Control (LoC) for the first time, even though it didn’t do so during the Kargil War.
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This statement sparked criticism from within his own party.
Congress leader Pawan Khera shared an old video of former PM Manmohan Singh talking about surgical strikes during the Congress-led UPA government — a subtle way of saying Tharoor was wrong.
Congress’s Jairam Ramesh also criticized the government’s decision to include opposition members like Tharoor in official foreign delegations, calling it a “cheap political game.”
“The Congress will not stoop to the level of the BJP and PM Modi,” Ramesh said.
Another Congress leader, Udit Raj, mocked Tharoor by suggesting he was acting like a BJP spokesperson.
“Shashi Tharoor, you should be made foreign minister by PM Modi. How could you ignore Congress’s achievements and say India only crossed the LoC after Modi came to power?” he posted online.
Despite the criticism, Tharoor said this is not the right time for internal arguments and wants to focus on important national issues.
