Unruffled Tharoor to Remain a Thorn in Congress’s Flesh

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Thiruvananthapuram: Despite the party high command’s displeasure at his open endorsement of the Narendra Modi Government’s handling of the standoff with Pakistan, four-time Congress MP Shashi Tharoor appears in no mood to back down.

Rather than toe the party line, Tharoor seems content to remain a thorn in the Congress’s side, consistently airing his views on key issues—even when they clash with the official stand.

He has made his stance abundantly clear, amid reports that he was upbraided by the party leadership for publicly hailing the strategic, diplomatic, and kinetic success of Operation Sindoor.

On his return from Delhi after attending the Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting, Tharoor dismissed suggestions that he had been reprimanded for his views on the recent developments.

A former UN diplomat, Tharoor asserted that his remarks were made in full confidence, drawing on his considerable experience in geopolitics. Notably, he currently serves as Chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs.

Whatever transpired behind closed doors with the party leadership, Tharoor appears confident that the Congress is in no position to take any drastic action against him—especially as long as he remains the sitting MP from Thiruvananthapuram.

Unfazed by party positioning in the aftermath of Operation Sindoor, Tharoor has stuck to his guns. The Congress’s official statements cautiously praised the armed forces while avoiding giving credit to the Modi Government for the operation’s strategic planning. The party also raised concerns over the alleged involvement of the United States in what it deemed a bilateral issue.

In contrast, Tharoor—through media interviews and opinion pieces—has strongly endorsed the government’s actions. Writing in The New Indian Express, he stated: “Through careful diplomatic and strategic decisions, India responded to the Pahalgam attack in a calibrated manner, targeting terrorist bases rather than civilian areas, doing so at night to minimise collateral damage to civilians, and avoiding all Pakistani Government and military installations.”

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In backing the government’s handling of the crisis, Tharoor appeared to overlook the Congress’s long-standing aversion to praising the Modi Government—a political heresy in the party’s internal code.

Sections of the Congress leadership are reportedly irked that mainstream media outlets have prominently featured Tharoor’s views while giving less visibility to official spokespersons.

This is far from the first time the 69-year-old diplomat-turned-politician has ruffled feathers in the party’s top brass with his contrarian stances.

He also drew flak from the state leadership for praising the rapid growth of Kerala’s startup ecosystem—driven by the CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) government.

Though Tharoor has often expressed interest in playing a larger role in Kerala Congress affairs, the party’s entrenched leadership—dominated by conventional players—has largely kept him on the sidelines.

He was kept out of the loop in the recent reshuffle of the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC), orchestrated by the high command to revitalise the party and its United Democratic Front (UDF) coalition ahead of the civic polls and assembly elections next year.

The revamp has already triggered discontent, with the ousted KPCC chief K. Sudhakaran reportedly fuming over his removal.