By Kavita Mistry 
New Delhi: Senior Congress MP Shashi Tharoor faced the party leadership’s ire Wednesday over his remarks on Operation Sindoor and US President Donald Trump’s repeated claims that the White House brokered a truce between India and Pakistan, with top party functionaries accusing him of crossing the “Laxman rekha”, ThePrint has learnt.
Questions aimed at Tharoor’s remarks came at him during a meeting chaired by Rahul Gandhi at the party headquarters. With Tharoor in the room, the leadership underlined that making statements not in step with the party’s formal position may invite disciplinary action, top Congress sources told ThePrint.
“Congress party does not usually restrain leaders from speaking their mind. There’s ample freedom. That was the case with Shashi Tharoor also. But this time he crossed the ‘Laxman rekha’.
“In the meeting, a stern message was given by the leadership. The leadership did not name anyone but one senior leader did raise questions on him specifically. He was told that it was not the time to share individual views,” said a senior Congress leader who attended the meeting.
ThePrint reached Shashi Tharoor for comment via calls and text but had not received a response by the time of publication. This report will be updated if and when a response is received.
Rahul left the party headquarters after the meeting without interacting with the press. However, Congress general secretary (communications) Jairam Ramesh said the Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition will hold a press conference Friday on Operation Sindoor and Trump’s remarks.
Responding to a question on Tharoor’s statements, Ramesh told a press conference after the meeting, “It is his personal view. When Tharoor speaks, his remarks do not reflect the views of the party.”
While the Congress high command has been demanding that Prime Minister Narendra Modi break his silence on Trump’s assertions about the role of the US in facilitating cessation of hostilities between Indian and Pakistani armed forces, in multiple interviews, Tharoor has rejected the notion that New Delhi sought any mediation.
Tharoor also took a stand different from the party line which required him to contrast India’s victory in the 1971 war against Pakistan under Indira Gandhi as Prime Minister, with Operation Sindoor.
Tharoor has told reporters that while 1971 was a great achievement, circumstances were different, as Bangladesh was “fighting a moral cause and liberating it was a clear objective”.
Another senior Congress leader said Tharoor told those present at the meeting that the Parliament committee on external affairs, of which he is chairman, has called Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri for a briefing on Operation Sindoor and its fallout. “Tharoor also told the party huddle that Trump’s remarks have gone against the government. He stuck to the party line today,” the Congress leader said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge was not seen at the meeting, which was attended by several Congress Working Committee (CWC) members including P. Chidambaram, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Mukul Wasnik, Sachin Pilot, Deepender Singh Hooda, Randeep Surjewala, Ajay Maken, and Salman Khurshid, among others.
A resolution was also adopted at the meeting expressing surprise over the “abrupt end to India’s retaliatory action against Pakistan, which has left behind a trail of unanswered questions”.
“The sudden halt, without clarity or communication, has led to speculation and concern across the country. Adding to this is the deeply problematic statement by the U.S. President Donald Trump, who was the first to claim that a ceasefire was brokered with the use of trade threats and pressure on India. The Government of India’s silence on this matter is inexplicable and unacceptable,” stated the resolution.
It raised questions on the 22 April Pahalgam attack, saying it raises deeply troubling questions about an apparent intelligence failure.
“While we wait for an official assessment, it is unfortunate that no accountability has yet been fixed. The terrorists responsible for the Pahalgam attack remain at large, and the Congress Working Committee demands their immediate apprehension and prosecution,” noted the resolution.
The party reiterated its demand for a special session of Parliament and an immediate all-party meeting chaired by PM Modi, saying that the nation deserves answers, “not evasion”. It also condemned the remarks of BJP’s minister in Madhya Pradesh, Vijay Shah, on Army Colonel Sofiya Qureshi and demanded his resignation.
(Edited by Amrtansh Arora)
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