Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, who recently returned from a five-nation outreach mission for India’s Operation Sindoor on Pakistan, has heaped praise on Prime Minister Narendra Modi in In a column in The Hindu, Tharoor called PM Modi a “prime asset for India” due to his “energy, dynamism and willingness”.
“Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s energy, dynamism and willingness to engage remains a prime asset for India on the global stage, but deserves greater backing,” Congress’s Kerala MP wrote in the column as he stressed that the outreach showed India’s unity on a global stage.
Tharoor further wrote that, as part of the outreach, he learnt that the “power of unity, the efficacy of clear communication, the strategic value of soft power, and the imperative of sustained public diplomacy” would guide India in manoeuvring an “increasingly complex international landscape”.
He also pointed out that the three T’s – tech, trade and tradition – should drive India’s future global strategy as the nation continues to strive for a “more just, secure and prosperous world”.
The Congress veteran, whose inclusion in the Operation Sindoor outreach, spiralled into a fierce war of words between the Congress and the BJP, said that the primary objective of the mission was to provide clarity on the same. Tharoor has been facing his .
“We meticulously explained that India’s actions were a legitimate exercise of self-defence, a necessary response to persistent cross-border terrorism. The success of this narrative was evident in the shift witnessed in several capitals,” he wrote.
Tharoor inevitably highlighted a crucial turning point during his outreach wherein he expressed concerns regarding Columbia’s initial stance of condoling casualties in Pakistan after Operation Sindoor. After his strong disapproval, the as Tharoor highlighted that there is no moral equivalence between terrorists and those defending their nation.
“This demonstrated that facts, patiently and persistently presented, can overcome initial misunderstandings or even deliberate misinformation,” the Kerala MP further wrote.
Underscoring Pakistan’s continued connection with terrorism was another and “equally crucial” aspect of the global outreach, Tharoor wrote. Recapping his delegation’s outreach in the US, Tharoor took a veiled dig at the Pakistani officials who were also present in Washington DC around the same time.
“Even as a Pakistani delegation was simultaneously present, we found US representatives, including those who met the Pakistani officials, echoing our concerns and urging decisive action against terror groups such as Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed,” Tharoor wrote in the column.
The Congress MP pointed out that the US acknowledgement confirmed that India’s arguments, backed by “verifiable facts and consistent advocacy”, were “cutting through the noise and reinforcing the legitimacy of India’s position”.
Tharoor’s remarks during the outreach were met with severe criticism by his Congress colleagues, especially after he snubbed the surgical strikes conducted during the UPA regime and praised the Modi government’s handling of the situation. The veteran, however, stressing he had “better things to do”.
His latest praise for the Prime Minister comes days after he ,even as he downplayed any rift with the leadership or cadre.
at the latter’s residence after completing the Operation Sindoor global outreach. Seven multi-party delegations who were tasked with the same also met the Prime Minister.