Will Shashi Tharoor join BJP? Congress MP puts speculation to rest

Shashi Tharoor said that leading Operation Sindoor was “to serve India”, adding that he was very proud to have gotten the opportunity to do so.

Senior Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Tuesday defended his article on Operation Sindoor's global outreach, saying it was not a sign of his "leaping to join" Prime Minister Narendra Modi's party but a "statement of national unity".

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor had heaped praise on PM Modi, terming his energy and dynamism as "an asset for India"(Hindustan Times)

In a recent news article with a daily, Shashi Tharoor had heaped praise on PM Modi, terming his energy and dynamism as "an asset for India".

"Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s energy, dynamism and willingness to engage remains a prime asset for India on the global stage, but deserves greater backing," he wrote in the article in The Hindu. he also described Operation Sindoor as "a moment of national resolve", emphasising the value of unity as a nation and of public diplomacy.

Tharoor led one of the seven Indian delegations to put forth the nation's stance on terrorism and brief them about Operation Sindoor. His delegation visited Panama, Guyana, Colombia, Brazil, and lastly the United States.

However, his remarks were seen as a likely attempt to irk his Congress party and are expected to form cracks on already tense ties.

‘Standing up for India’

The Thiruvananthapuram MP was asked about his article at an event in Moscow and he responded saying, "It is not a sign of my leaping to join the prime minister's party (the BJP) as some people unfortunately have been implying. It is a statement of national unity, of national interest and of standing up for India, which to my mind is fundamentally why I came back to India after 25 years of service at the UN."

Leading the delegation on Operation Sindoor, Tharoor said, was to "serve India". "I am very proud to have the opportunity to do so," he added.

The Congress leader further clarified that while he did praise the Prime Minister, the article was written about Operation Sindoor. He noted that people always tend to see all this in the context of today's news.

“It is an article in which I describe the success of this outreach mission, which, amongst other things, showcased the unity of all parties behind the matter of vital national interest," Tharoor said.

"So, I said the prime minister himself has demonstrated dynamism and energy in engaging with other countries. He has travelled to more countries than any prime minister, and done so in order to take the message of India around the world," he added.

The Congress leader said that according to him, members from various parties came together to give PM Modi’s efforts a “backup” by bringing to bear the strength of all of India’s different political parties and groups, “and convey to the world that a message that a united India stands for”.

“Today it is a message against terrorism, tomorrow it could be a message on something else, but that backing up, I believe, is very important," he said.

He agreed with the expression that Americans use to say that political; differences should stop at the water’s edge. "I, too, have believed for the longest time that political differences in our democracy should stop at the borders. For us, it seems to me there is really no such thing as a BJP foreign policy or a Congress foreign policy, there is only Indian foreign policy and Indian national interest,” Tharoor said.

Tharoor added that he had not said anything new, in fact, he had said the same thing many years ago. “I said this publicly, on the record, the very first time when I became the chairman of the External Affairs committee back in 2014,” he said.

Tharoor vs Congress on India-Pak conflict

Tharoor’s article on Operation Sindoor was also shared by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s office on X.

Meanwhile, Tharoor’s praise of PM Modi gained significance against the backdrop of an irked Congress, which has been continuously attacking the Modi government over its foreign policy.

The Thiruvananthapuram MP, on the other hand, has been making comments on the India-Pakistan conflict that were different than those of the Congress party.

Last week, Tharoor had said that he has differences of opinion with some in the Congress party leadership. But clarified that he is not going to speak about them ahead of the byelection in Kerala’s Nilambur constituency.

Shashi Tharoor said that the Congress, its values, and its workers are very dear to him.