Tharoor's Op Sindoor remark sparks Congress row, Rijiju offers support

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor faces criticism within his party over praise for 'Operation Sindoor'; union minister Kiren Rijiju supports him, questioning Congress's stance amid the controversy

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, currently leading a multi-party delegation abroad as part of India’s global outreach following ‘Operation Sindoor’, has found an ally in Union Minister Kiren Rijiju. Tharoor has come under fire from within his own party for his praise of the Modi government’s counter-terrorism actions, but Rijiju defended him and questioned the Congress party’s criticism.

  Posting on X, Rijiju wrote: “What does the Congress party want & how much they really care for the country? Should the Indian MPs go to foreign nation and speak against India and its Prime Minister? There’s limit to political desperation!” 

Rijiju’s remarks followed sharp attacks from Congress leader Udit Raj, who accused Tharoor of acting as a de facto spokesperson for the BJP. The controversy erupted after Tharoor praised India's strong counter-terror stance while addressing the Indian community in Panama.

 

 

Tharoor praises surgical strikes, hails national unity

During his remarks in Panama City, Tharoor praised the 2016 surgical strike and the 2019 Balakot air strike, stating that India's response to terrorism had evolved significantly. He lauded the Modi government’s approach, saying it had sent a strong signal to terror groups. 

“Some women cried out. They told the terrorists — kill me too, and they said, ‘No, go back, tell what happened to you’. We heard their cries and India decided that the colour of the sindoor, the vermilion colour on the forehead of our women, will also match the colour of the blood of the killers, the perpetrators, the attackers,” Tharoor said.     

  Echoing Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s justification for Operation Sindoor, Tharoor added, “Our Prime Minister has made it very clear Operation Sindoor was necessary because these terrorists came and wiped the sindoor off the foreheads of 26 women by depriving them of their husbands and fathers, their married lives.”

 

Congress backlash: ‘Super spokesperson of BJP’

Tharoor’s praise triggered immediate backlash within his party. Congress leader Udit Raj told news agency ANI, “Congress MP Shashi Tharoor is the super spokesperson of the BJP, and what the BJP leaders are not saying when it comes to speaking in favour of PM Modi and the government, he is doing.” 

Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera also distanced the party from Tharoor’s remarks. Referring to India’s past military actions, he said multiple surgical strikes were carried out during the UPA regime, but were never made public. Khera also shared a past interview of former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh confirming the same. 

BJP defends Tharoor, targets Rahul Gandhi

The BJP came to Tharoor’s defence, alleging that the Congress attack on him was orchestrated at the behest of Rahul Gandhi. BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla said, “Shashi Tharoor is being attacked at the behest of Rahul Gandhi because Shashi Tharoor kept India first, not (the Gandhi) family. He talked about national interest, not his party’s interest.” 

Poonawalla accused the Congress of duplicity — claiming to support the armed forces while “giving clean chits to Pakistan". Referring to Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge’s earlier comment calling Operation Sindoor a “chut-put yudh” (sporadic skirmish), he said the opposition was echoing the narrative of Pakistan’s DG ISPR. 

“Today, the Congress, while talking like Pakistan’s DG ISPR, is launching missiles at its own leader. It won’t say a word against Pakistan,” he said.     

 

Operation Sindoor and the global outreach

Operation Sindoor involved targeted strikes on May 7 by Indian forces on nine terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, focusing on groups like Jaish-e-Mohammed and Lashkar-e-Taiba. The operation was launched after a terror attack killed 26 people in Pahalgam. Hostilities lasted four days, ending in a ceasefire on May 10. 

Following the military action, the Indian government launched a global outreach initiative to highlight Pakistan’s role in cross-border terrorism. Seven multi-party parliamentary delegations were formed to represent India’s position abroad. 

Tharoor is leading one such delegation, which includes MPs Sarfaraz Ahmed, G M Harish Balayogi, Shashank Mani Tripathi, Tejasvi Surya, Bhubaneswar Kalita, Mallikarjun Devda, Milind Deora, and former Ambassador to the US, Taranjit Singh Sandhu. After visiting Guyana, the team is currently on a three-day visit to Panama.

 

(With agency inputs)