NEW DELHI: Amid rising tensions within the Congress party, the BJP has rallied around opposition MP Shashi Tharoor, who is facing criticism from his own colleagues over remarks made during an international delegation visit. Tharoor’s statements lauding India’s recent counterterror strikes have sparked sharp reactions from fellow Congress leader Udit Raj, prompting BJP leaders to question the Congress’s stance on national interest.Union minister Kiren Rijiju took to X on Wednesday to condemn the grand old party, responding to Udit Raj’s criticism of Tharoor. Sharing a video, Rijiju questioned the party’s priorities: “Congress ka haath kiske sath? Kya Congress party mein desh ke liye bolna mana hai?” he posted in Hindi.“We Indians must speak in one voice in crucial time at least,” he added.In another post, Rijiju intensified his criticism, “What does the Congress party want & how much they really care for the country? Should the Indian MPs go to foreign nation and speak against India and its Prime Minister? There’s limit to political desperation!”BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla echoed Rijiju’s sentiments, alleging that Congress leader Udit Raj was targeting Tharoor under the influence of Rahul Gandhi. He framed the row as a case of internal sabotage. “Shashi Tharoor is being attacked at the behest of Rahul Gandhi because Shashi Tharoor kept India first not (Gandhi) family. He talked about national interest, not his party’s interest. He is being attacked because he kept national policy above the vote bank (politics),” Poonawalla told PTI.He accused the Congress of hypocrisy: asserting support for the armed forces in an all-party meeting, while launching “missiles at its own leader” abroad.“The Congress, which is launching missiles at its own leader, won’t say a word against Pakistan,” he said.The row stems from Tharoor’s recent remarks during an official address in Panama, where he was representing India as part of a multi-party delegation. Tharoor spoke about India’s evolving counter-terrorism posture, referencing key military operations.“What has changed in recent years is that the terrorists have also realised they will have a price to pay; on that, let there be no doubt. When, for the first time, India breached the Line of Control between India and Pakistan to conduct a surgical strike on a terror base, a launch pad – the Uri strike in September 2015. That was already something we had not done before. Even during the Kargil War, we had not crossed the Line of Control; in Uri, we did, and then came the attack in Pulwama in January 2019. This time, we crossed not only the Line of Control but also the international border, and we struck the terrorist headquarters in Balakot. This time, we have gone beyond both of those. We have not only gone beyond the Line of Control and the international border. We have struck at the Punjabi heartland of Pakistan by hitting terror bases, training centres, and terror headquarters in nine places,” Tharoor said.Udit Raj, however, took serious objection, accusing Tharoor of undermining the Congress’s legacy. “How could you denigrate the golden history of Congress by saying that before PM Modi, India never crossed LOC and the international border?” Raj posted on X.He pointed to India’s military actions during the 1965 and 1971 wars, as well as strikes under the UPA, to challenge Tharoor’s narrative. “Congress MP Shashi Tharoor has become the super spokesperson of the BJP, speaking in favour of PM Modi and his government,” Raj told ANI.As the rift widens, Tharoor finds himself caught between praise from political opponents and rebuke from within his own party.Congress MP from Thiruvananthapuram, Tharoor, is currently leading an all-party delegation to countries in Americas for Centre’s resolve of global outreach of India’s recent counterterror Operation Sindoor.
