India first: Tharoor stands firm amid rift rumours with Cong

Amid speculation of a rift with the Congress leadership over his public remarks following the Pahalgam terror attack, senior party leader and MP Shashi Tharoor on Sunday said he would stand his ground “because I believe this is the right thing for the country”, despite facing criticism.

Speaking at a gathering in Kochi, a clip of which he later shared on X, Tharoor responded to a student’s question about his ties with the Congress leadership.

“When people like me say that we respect our parties, we have certain values and convictions that keep us in our parties, but we need to cooperate with other parties in the interest of national security,” he said.

In what appeared to be a veiled dig at his own party, the Thiruvananthapuram MP added, “Sometimes the parties feel that is disloyal to them. To my mind, the nation comes first. Parties are a means of making the nation better. So whichever party you belong to, its objective should be to create a better India in its own way.”

Explaining why he chose to respond, Tharoor said, “In Kochi today, I was asked an inevitable question by a high school student. While I have been steering clear of such political discussions in public, I felt a student deserved a response.”

He also addressed the criticism he has faced from within the party for praising the government.

“A lot of people have been very critical of me because of the stand I’ve taken supporting our armed forces and our government — in light of what happened recently in our country and on our borders. I will stand my ground because I believe this is the right thing for the country. And when I speak of India, I speak for all Indians, not just those who may like my party,” he said.

‘Won’t be invited till change in stance’

Thiruvananthapuram: Senior Congress leader K Muraleedharan on Sunday hit out at party colleague Shashi Tharoor again, saying he will not be invited to any party programme in the state capital till he changes his stance on the national security issue. Muraleedharan said Tharoor was no longer considered as ‘one of us’. PTI

Quoting former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, Tharoor said: “Who lives if India dies?” and urged political leaders across party lines to set aside differences when the nation is imperilled.

The Congress MP has been at odds with the party’s central leadership ever since he was chosen by the government to head an all-party delegation on Operation Sindoor — a military response to Pakistan following the Pahalgam terror attack.

His recent comments on the India-Pakistan conflict and diplomatic outreach have also diverged from the Congress’s official line.

Tensions escalated further after Tharoor praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s diplomacy in an article for The Hindu, highlighting the PM’s “energy” and “dynamism” as assets to India’s global influence. The article was later shared by the Prime Minister’s Office, fuelling speculation about Tharoor’s political loyalties.

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