Image Source: Agencies

July 21, 2025: Senior party leader and MP Shashi Tharoor said on Sunday that he would stand his ground "because I believe this is the right thing for the country," despite receiving criticism, raising the possibility of a disagreement with the Congress leadership over his public remarks following the Pahalgam terror attack. Tharoor addressed a student's inquiry regarding his connections to Congress leadership while he was speaking at a gathering in Kochi, which he later shared on X. He stated, "When people like me say that we respect our parties, we have certain values and convictions that keep us in our parties, but we must collaborate with other parties in the interest of national security." In what appeared to be a veiled dig at his own party, the Thiruvananthapuram MP added, “Sometimes the parties feel that is disloyal to them. The nation comes first, in my opinion. Parties are a means of making the nation better. Therefore, no matter which party you support, its goal ought to be to improve India in its own unique way. Tharoor stated, "In Kochi today, I was asked an inevitable question by a high school student," to explain why he chose to respond. While I have been steering clear of such political discussions in public, I felt a student deserved a response.”
He also addressed the criticism he has faced from within the party for praising the government.
Due to my support for our armed forces and government in light of recent events in our nation and on our borders, a lot of people have been very critical of me. I will stand my ground because I believe this is the right thing for the country. And when I speak of India, I speak for all Indians, not just those who may like my party,” he said.
Tharoor said, quoting the former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, "Who lives if India dies?" and urged political leaders across party lines to set aside differences when the nation is imperilled.
Since being selected by the government to lead an all-party delegation on Operation Sindoor, a military response to Pakistan following the Pahalgam terror attack, the Congress MP has been at odds with the party's central leadership. His recent comments on the India-Pakistan conflict and diplomatic outreach have also diverged from the Congress’s official line.
After Tharoor praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi's diplomacy in an article for The Hindu and emphasized the PM's "energy" and "dynamism" as assets to India's global influence, tensions grew even more. The article was later shared by the Prime Minister’s Office, fuelling speculation about Tharoor’s political loyalties.