Congress a divided house over Trump ceasefire mediation
NEW DELHI: A day after Congress leadership distanced itself from senior leader Shashi Tharoor’s comments on India-Pakistan conflict in media interviews, different voices emerged from party leaders on the issue.
While the Congress Working Committee (CWC) is learnt to have warned Tharoor of crossing party lines, the Congress MP on Thursday clarified that his comments were made in a personal capacity and did not reflect the party’s official position on the issue.
However, Tharoor’s strong defense of the Modi government’s actions have not gone down well with many leaders, who felt that Modi’s foreign policy has left India ‘friendless and a laughing stock’.
Congress leader Praveen Chakravarty said that Modi government’s foreign policy was an utter failure and it is the duty of every Indian leader to point this out in the larger national interest.
“Regardless of what MPs from Thiruvananthapuram ,Thiruchirapalli or Thane may say in English, Tamil or Marathi, the facts are indisputable. US President Trump has said India and Pakistan are equal, Kashmir is an international issue, US forced India to agree to cease fire, among other things,” said Chakravarty.
AICC leader Jairam Ramesh told reporters on Wednesday that Tharoor’s views do not reflect the official position of the party. “That is his opinion. When Tharoor speaks, it is his view and not the stand of the party,” he said.
Responding to the party’s stand, Tharoor said that his opinions were individual and not reflective of the Congress party’s stand
“I made it very clear that I am expressing my personal views. It was really a contribution to the national discourse, at a time when it was very important for us to rally around the flag, especially internationally. There was a relative lack of our point of view being heard, particularly in the US, Europe, and the Middle East,” he said.
Tharoor asserted that he spoke as an ‘Indian and a proud citizen’. “I spoke as an Indian. I never pretended to speak for anyone else. I am not a spokesperson for the party. I am not the government spokesperson. Whatever I have said, you may agree or disagree, blame it on me individually, and that’s fine,” said Tharoor.
The Congress MP also dismissed reports that senior leaders of the CWC were of the view that Tharoor has ‘crossed Lakshman Rekha’ with his comments on Operation Sindoor and Trump’s mediation.
Spoke as an Indian and proud citizen: Tharoor
Shashi Tharoor said that his opinions were individual and not reflective of the Congress party’s stand. Tharoor asserted that he spoke as an ‘Indian and a proud citizen’. “I am not a spokesperson for the party. I am not the government spokesperson. Whatever I have said, you may agree or disagree, blame it on me individually, and that’s fine,” said the Congress MP.