Congress member of parliament Shashi Tharoor has come to the defence of his recent statement made while abroad, which received flak from within the party, particularly from Udit Raj. The row erupted after Tharoor made remarks in Panama, where he reportedly said that India crossed the Line of Control (LoC) for the first time in 2016 during a surgical strike on a terror hub.
Taking to X, Tharoor made it clear that he was talking merely about retaliatory strikes following recent terror attacks and not historical wars. “Critics are free to twist my words, but I have better things to do,” he wrote, referencing a full agenda and an early morning flight to Colombia.
Tharoor, now at the helm of a multi-party delegation after Operation Sindoor, explicated his assertion further, asserting, “I was speaking only and explicitly of reprisals for terrorist attacks and not of earlier wars.” He also added, “My statement was preceded by an allusion to the various attacks that have occurred in recent years alone, when earlier Indian responses were both limited and circumscribed by our responsible respect for the LoC and the IB.”
After a long and successful day in Panama, i have to wind up at midnightvhere with departure for Bogota, Colombia in six hours, so I don’t really have time for this — but anyway: For those zealots fulminating about my supposed ignorance of Indian valour across the LoC: in tge…
— Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) May 29, 2025
Udit Raj Slams Tharoor, Accuses Him of Defaming Congress Legacy
Congress leader Udit Raj severely condemned Tharoor’s statement and blamed him for downplaying the party’s historical achievements. Referring to Tharoor’s tweet, Raj posted on X, “My dear Shashi Tharoor, Alas! I could prevail upon PM Modi to declare you as super spokesperson of BJP, even declaring (you) as foreign minister before landing in India. How could you denigrate the golden history of Congress by saying that before PM Modi , India never crossed LoC and International border.”
My dear @ShashiTharoor
Alas ! I could prevail upon PM Modi to declare you as super spokesperson of BJP , even declaring as foreign minister before landing in India . How could you denigrate the golden history of Congress by saying that before PM Modi , India never crossed LOC… https://t.co/c88b8rX2bq— Dr. Udit Raj (@Dr_Uditraj) May 28, 2025
He also pointed out India’s military interventions during the Congress regime, “In 1965 Indian Army entered Pakistan at multiple points, which completely surprised the Pakistanis in the Lahore sector. In 1971, India tore Pakistan in two pieces and during UPA government several surgical strikes were unleashed but drum beating was not done to encash (it) politically.”
Pawan Khera and Jairam Ramesh Join In
Congress media and publicity department chief Pawan Khera and General Secretary in-charge of Communications Jairam Ramesh also joined in on the matter. Khera tweeted a photo of Indian Army officers in front of a captured Pakistani police station in Burki during the 1965 Indo-Pak war. “This photo is from the Battle of Burki. An important battle of the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965,” Khera added.
In another tweet, Khera cited a media report in which former PM Manmohan Singh allegedly confirmed that the UPA government conducted several surgical strikes. “Former PM Manmohan Singh: Many Surgical Strikes Conducted Under UPA…. CC @ShashiTharoor,” Khera posted.
Jairam Ramesh re-shared Khera’s post, reflecting wider disenchantment among Congress members over Tharoor’s statement.
Earlier Spat Over Intelligence Comments
This is not the first time Udit Raj has had a run-in with Tharoor. It was last month that Raj scolded Tharoor for his comments on intelligence agencies after the Pahalgam terror attack. Tharoor had uttered, “No country has 100 per cent foolproof intelligence.”
Raj replied by blaming Tharoor for being the BJP’s ally: “Shashi Tharoor said no country has 100 per cent foolproof intelligence? During the 26/11 Mumbai attack, Modi ji had spoken. It is the central government’s failure.”
Tharoor brushed aside the criticism by highlighting Raj’s history, “Udit Raj is an ex-BJP MP and is better placed to know who speaks for the BJP.”
Tharoor Compares DOGE to Buddhism in Panama
In Panama, while speaking, Tharoor, in a tongue-in-cheek moment, equated the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to Buddhism. “DOGE is a way of life, much like Buddhism. Do you need Buddha for Buddhism? Wasn’t Buddhism more powerful after he died?” he responded when someone asked him who would head DOGE after him.
Party leaders criticized Tharoor, a leading figure in post-attack diplomatic efforts, even as he asserted Indian resilience abroad. Udit Raj nevertheless asserted that Tharoor only used his words to compliment Prime Minister Modi during an international tour aimed at exposing Pakistan.
