New DelhiCould 28, 2025 19:34 IST
First revealed on: Could 28, 2025 at 19:34 IST
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THIS time from hundreds of miles away, Shashi Tharoor has riled the Congress for exhibiting assist for the Modi authorities over cross-border strikes. And as soon as once more, the social gathering has made its displeasure recognized, with Congress leaders reminding him about surgical strikes beneath the UPA authorities and suggesting that the BJP ought to identify him “tremendous spokesperson”.
Tharoor was addressing an Indian diaspora occasion in Panama, the second cease of the multi-party delegation he’s heading as a part of the Modi authorities’s world outreach on terrorism. Within the context of terrorism emanating from Pakistan soil, Tharoor stated: “What has modified in recent times is that the terrorists have additionally realized they are going to have a value to pay… For the primary time, India breached the LoC (Line of Management) between India and Pakistan to conduct a surgical strike on a terror base, a launch pad… (after) the Uri strike in September 2016. That was one thing we had not completed earlier than. Even in the course of the Kargil Struggle, we had not crossed the LoC.”
The Congress has all the time countered this declare by the Modi authorities, saying that Indian safety forces performed surgical strikes beneath the UPA authorities as nicely, however with out the social gathering or the federal government publicising it.
Tharoor went on to say the strike on Balakot by India, after the Pulwama terror assault of January 2019. “We not solely crossed the LoC, we additionally crossed the worldwide border and struck a terrorist headquarters. This time (in Operation Sindoor), we went past each of these… We struck within the Punjabi heartland of Pakistan.”
Hours after Tharoor’s remarks in Panama, Udit Raj, the Congress spokesperson and former MP, took a swipe at him on X Wednesday. “I might prevail upon PM Modi to declare you as tremendous spokesperson of BJP, even overseas minister earlier than (you land) in India,” he posted. “How might you denigrate the golden historical past of Congress by saying that earlier than PM Modi, India by no means crossed the LoC and Worldwide Border? In 1965, the Indian Military entered Pakistan at a number of factors, which fully shocked the Pakistanis within the Lahore sector. In 1971, India tore Pakistan into two items, and in the course of the UPA authorities, a number of surgical strikes have been unleashed, however drum beating was not completed…”
Raj’s put up was reposted by Congress Media and Publicity Division chairman Pawan Khera. Then, Khera himself took to X and posted an image of “officers of 4 Sikh Regiment posing outdoors a captured Pakistani police station in Burki, Lahore District”.
Tagging Tharoor, Khera added: “This picture is from the Battle of Burki (often known as the Battle of Lahore, 1965), a major engagement in the course of the Indo-Pakistani Struggle of 1965…” He went on to specify the place precisely Burki was positioned in Pakistan.
Khera adopted it up with one other put up – tagging Tharoor once more – on the remarks by former prime minister Manmohan Singh in an interview to The Hindustan Occasions, saying “a number of surgical strikes befell throughout our tenure too. For us, army operations have been meant for strategic deterrence and giving a befitting reply to anti-India forces than for use for vote garnering workouts”.
Each the posts have been promptly reposted by Congress communications head Jairam Ramesh.
The recent row comes days after the Congress had made its displeasure evident on the authorities selecting the identify of Tharoor, amongst others, for its seven multi-party delegations for its world outreach post-Operation Sindoor. The Congress had recommended different names, which the federal government ignored, barring that of Anand Sharma. Tharoor is the one Congress chief who’s heading a delegation. His crew is tasked with touring Latin America and the US.
Earlier than the delegation controversy, Tharoor’s public pronouncements within the wake of the Pahalgam terror assault and Operation Sindoor had additionally drawn the ire of the Congress. After a latest assembly of the social gathering’s management, a pacesetter advised the media that Tharoor had crossed the “Lakshman Rekha (purple line)”.
Although a CWC member, Tharoor has more and more been taking a line separate from the social gathering’s, together with on different Modi authorities initiatives in addition to some by the LDF authorities in Kerala.