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BJP amplifies Shashi Tharoor: What he said about India's stance on US-Iran war
The BJP was quick to target the Congress party over Tharoor’s comments supporting India’s “restraint” approach to the West Asia situation.
Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor’s backing of India’s response to the ongoing West Asia crisis between the US-Israel and Iran has drawn focus, with the BJP using the MP's stance to target the Congress.
Tharoor described India’s response to the West Asia crisis as an example of "responsible statecraft," saying that showing restraint in such a volatile situation reflects strength, not weakness. Follow Iran-US war live updates here.
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Shashi Tharoor on India’s response to the West Asia conflict
“Restraint is not surrender. Restraint is strength... it shows that we know what our interests are and we will act first of all to protect our interests,” Tharoor said in an interview with news agency ANI.
He said countries like India should take a constructive diplomatic role to reduce tensions. "What many countries like us ought to be doing... is to actually take an initiative to call for peace, to give both sides a ladder to climb down," he said.
While he supported the government's approach to the crisis, he also said India should have expressed condolences earlier after the killing of Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Khamenei, while still maintaining a careful diplomatic position.
"There is a difference between condemnation and condolence... condolence is an expression of sympathy," he said.
BJP attacks Congress over Tharoor’s backing
The BJP was quick to target the Congress party over Tharoor’s comments supporting India’s “restraint” approach to the West Asia situation.
Party spokesperson CR Kesavan said senior Congress leaders recognising Prime Minister Narendra Modi's balanced approach during current global conflicts marks a shift from Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi's repeated criticism of the government.
It is “indeed a welcome change compared to Rahul Gandhi's mindless criticism of the government. For PM, the welfare of Bharat and its people has always been paramount,” he told ANI.
BJP national spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia also praised Tharoor's remarks and slammed Congress' Gandhi for “reactive and politically driven” comments.
“Notably, senior leaders like Shashi Tharoor and Manish Tewari have articulated a more nuanced and responsible view on the issue, underlining the importance of strategic autonomy and diplomatic balance,” he said.
Congress reacts to Tharoor’s remarks
Reacting to Tharoor’s comments backing the government’s stand, Congress leader Supriya Shrinate said she disagrees and described India’s “silence” on the crisis as “condemnable.”
She said, “It is shameful. It raises questions about our morality. It is not India's history to remain silent on a targeted assassination in a sovereign nation. India distanced itself from Iran and sat in the lap of Israel.”
“Your diplomacy is such a failure that Russia, Pakistan and China stand together today. Your diplomacy is such a failure that Iran opened the Strait of Hormuz for several nations but not for us. I think India's diplomacy is an utter failure. Diplomacy doesn't run with 'red laser eyes'. It doesn't run with forcible hugs,” she added.
Congress leader Sandeep Dikshit also reacted to Tharoor’s statements and said the senior party MP “thinks differently.”
He told ANI, “We have been seeing this for many days, that Shashi Tharoor thinks differently. It's okay. It's his own opinion... I don't think he understands very many things... If someone says something without understanding and just to take a position, then it should not be taken seriously.”
India on West Asia crisis
India said on Thursday that recent attacks on energy installations across different parts of the Gulf region are deeply concerning and add to the uncertainty in the global energy situation.
Responding to media queries on the attacks in recent days, ministry of external affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said attacks on civilian infrastructure, including energy facilities, are unacceptable and must stop.
With inputs from agencies
