Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Saturday said he has never violated the party’s stated position in Parliament, asserting that his only principled public disagreement was over Operation Sindhoor, a stance he said he remains “unapologetic” about.
Speaking during a session at the Kerala Literature Festival, Tharoor addressed reports suggesting differences with the Congress leadership, including speculation that he was unhappy over not being adequately acknowledged by Rahul Gandhi at a recent event in Kochi and alleged attempts by state leaders to sideline him.
Clarifying his position, Tharoor said that as a writer and observer, he had penned a newspaper column following the Pahalgam incident, arguing that such an attack should not go unpunished and that a limited, kinetic response was warranted. He stressed that while India remains focused on development, it should not be drawn into a prolonged conflict with Pakistan, and that any action should be restricted to targeting terrorist infrastructure.
“To my surprise, the government did exactly what I had recommended,” Tharoor said, adding that his views were guided by national interest rather than partisan considerations.
Invoking India’s first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru, Tharoor recalled the question, “Who lives if India dies?” and said that when the country’s security and global standing are at stake, national interest must take precedence over political differences.
“Political parties will always have disagreements as part of the democratic process,” he said. “But when it comes to India’s security and its place in the world, India must come first.”
