Shashi Tharoor Snubbed Congress On Op Sindoor Debate: The Inside Story

Shashi Tharoor - at a crossroads in his relationship with the Congress - has refused to toe the party line during the Parliament debate on the Pahalgam terror attack and Operation Sindoor, sources told NDTV Monday morning. Mr Tharoor said he would not contradict himself "for the sake of party messaging".

Shashi Tharoor had been asked to lead the Congress' (and the opposition's) attacks on the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party as part of a high-profile, 16-hour debate on the Pahalgam and Op Sindoor, India's military response, as well as the nearly 100-hour armed conflict with Pakistan that followed.

Sources said Mr Tharoor had been approached by Rahul Gandhi's office.

But the request was turned down.

Mr Tharoor and the Congress have been at odds since he led a government delegation to the United States - on Pahalgam and India's anti-terror doctrine - and praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

READ | Tharoor Praises PM's Terror Response, Gets Congress 'CC' Strike

That rift was evident again today after Mr Tharoor made it clear he could only speak in support of Op Sindoor and not contradict his own position for the sake of party messaging.

The Congress then decided Mr Tharoor would not speak during the debate.

Mr Gandhi, who is the Leader of the Opposition, and his deputy, Gaurav Gogoi, as well as Wayanad MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, are among those who will speak for the Congress.

Earlier today, Mr Tharoor evaded a question from NDTV on this subject.

READ |  Tharoor Not On Op Sindoor Debate List, Sources Say He Declined

The Thiruvananthapuram MP walked away. Party colleague Renuka Chowdhury responded on his behalf, and said, "... (he) is constitutionally empowered to speak anywhere..."

The debate on Pahalgam and Op Sindoor - scheduled to begin at noon today in the Lok Sabha but adjourned after chaos in the House - had been demanded by an opposition.

Under pressure, the government pencilled in this 16-hour debate.

READ | Op Sindoor Debate In Rajya Sabha Next Tuesday, PM To Take Part

The opposition had also demanded Prime Minister Modi address Parliament; Mr Modi is scheduled to speak in the Lok Sabha later today and in the Rajya Sabha tomorrow.

Mr Tharoor's reluctance to speak against Op Sindoor underlines the Congress' problem.

His relationship with the party - uncertain since 2021, when he joined a group of 'dissenters', i.e., the G-23, and questioned the Gandhis' leadership after a string of election defeats - has taken a sharp downturn over the past few months.

The Congress expressed its unease over positive comments about Mr Modi and the BJP, comments amplified after he was handpicked as one of the few opposition MPs chosen to brief 'partner nations' on the Pahalgam attack and India's military response.

READ | Tharoor Calls PM "Prime Asset For India" In New Provocation For Congress

Mr Tharoor has acknowledged differences between himself and the Congress; he even met Rahul Gandhi, but nothing seemed to come of that meeting.

Speaking to NDTV last month, he played down, again, any talk of friction with the party, calling such incidents "differences of opinion... with only some elements of leadership".

When NDTV asked him how he would define his relationship with the Congress today, he pointed out he had been loyal to the party and its ideology for the last 16 years.

Mr Tharoor has also firmly denied any talk of a switch to the BJP, a move that could re-align and re-shape India's political lanscape. "It is not a sign of my leaping to join the Prime Minister's party... as some people have been implying..." he said after his remarks about Mr Modi's "dynamism".

NDTV is now available on WhatsApp channels. Click on the link to get all the latest updates from NDTV on your chat.