The damage being done to the combatants, the neighbourhood, and the wider region, including to India, due to the West Asia conflict has “crossed all acceptable limits” and it must be made to stop, Congress leader Shashi Tharoor has said.
Interacting with reporters on the sidelines of an event in New Delhi on Friday (March 20, 2026), Mr. Tharoor said that he’s been someone who has always been “in favour of the doves” in this particular conflict and most of the conflicts.
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He was asked to comment on the hawkish remarks emanation from both sides when it comes to the West Asia conflict which began three weeks ago, with no end in sight.
“This is a serious issue. This is not a small matter, it’s affecting the ordinary lives of Indians and of others everywhere. I think that we should be part of (efforts), and ideally we should lead an international effort to bring this war to an end. There are many countries that will join us. No one wants to see this war continue,” he said.
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Mr. Tharoor said the conflict was “hurting a lot of us” who have nothing to do with it.
“And I think the time has come now to get both sides to climb down from their positions. They need our help, they need our encouragement and that of other countries. I hope we will play our part,” the former Union Minister of State for External Affairs said.
He said there was a need to see this conflict end.
“If you saw the appeal from the Omani foreign minister, very, very important gesture. I think many, many countries are saying that we absolutely have to bring this war to a close. It is doing far too much damage and it’s not clear at all what good it’s doing to anybody,” he underlined.
He was also asked if in this environment of “hawks”, there was a need some “doves” who want to see de-escalation.
“I’ve been obviously somebody who has been in favour of doves, in this particular conflict and in most conflicts. War is a futile activity. In fact, I spent a lot of years in peacekeeping at the UN, and I can tell you soldiers are the last ones who want to see wars. They know how much horror, how much suffering, how much true loss is involved. No one wants to see war continue,” he asserted.
When you talk to soldiers who have lived through fighting and killing, they will share with you the anguish it means, the Congress MP said.
“I think that it’s one thing to be forced to defend your country. It’s something else to go on prosecuting a war in which people are dying every day, innocents are dying, school children have been killed, all sorts of innocent people are losing their lives for frankly, for what,” he asked.
“I think at this point the damage being done everywhere, both to the combatants, to the neighbourhood, and then to the wider region including to India, has crossed all acceptable limits. It must be made to stop,” Mr. Tharoor said.
The conflict is affecting India, it’s affecting many other countries in the region and beyond because now, as oil prices go up and gas supplies go down, you’re looking at problems facing everybody, he said.
He was also asked about fellow Congress leader Shama Mohamed post on X on Friday (March 20) on less number of tickets being given to women candidates.
“I have been for some time very much in favour of greater women’s representation,” he said.
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“And I’m sorry to say, I do agree that when when women are half the population that they get only 9.8 per cent of the seats, is not fair. But again, those who made these decisions, and I’m not one of them, I’m not part of the selection process for candidates. But all I can say is that those who’ve done that must have taken all factors into account. And they claim that ultimately they were guided by winnability and that’s a principal thing,” Mr. Tharoor said.
“But when women’s reservation comes, I think that’ll be an end to these debates and we will see a fair opportunity to more hard working women leaders,” he added.
Published – March 21, 2026 09:14 am IST
