Congress MP Shashi Tharoor has refused to join a Lok Sabha debate that criticised Operation Sindoor. According to Congress sources, the party leadership had asked Tharoor to speak during the debate, but he turned down the request. The reason? Tharoor believes Operation Sindoor was a success and said he could not follow the party’s line of criticising the government over it.

Tharoor made it very clear that his opinion on the operation has not changed. He told the party that if he speaks in Parliament, he will repeat what he has been saying from the beginning: that Operation Sindoor was successful.

As per sources, Tharoor was contacted by the office of the Leader of Opposition or Deputy Leader to speak in the House on Operation Sindoor. But Tharoor refused, saying, “He will speak what he has been saying till now and cannot deviate from it.” He added that he found Operation Sindoor to be a success and would say the same thing again. Since he was expected to follow the party’s critical position, he decided not to speak at all.

When Tharoor arrived in Parliament for the debate, he gave a short and cryptic response to reporters’ questions. He simply said, “Maunvrat, Maunvrat,” meaning he would remain silent.

Shashi Tharoor and Congress face internal tensions

This is not the first time Tharoor’s views have created tension within the Congress. Tharoor recently led an all-party delegation to the US and four other countries to explain India's counter-terrorism efforts after the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam. His comments supporting Operation Sindoor during that visit were not liked by some party members.

The discomfort grew further when he was chosen to lead the team supporting Operation Sindoor, a military mission aimed at destroying terror camps across the border. Tharoor’s comments, where he compared the Modi government’s actions to earlier UPA-era surgical strikes, also made some Congress leaders angry.

Even after facing criticism, Tharoor stood by his views. He said that “critics and trolls” were twisting his words and dismissed the outrage as “orchestrated.” He added that he had “better things to do” than respond to such controversies.

Tharoor has said there is no official rift with the Congress party but admitted that he has different views and approaches. He remains loyal to the party but often speaks independently, which sometimes creates political trouble.

You might also be interested in: Divya Deshmukh lifts FIDE Women’s World Cup 2025, becomes India’s 88th Grandmaster