Kolkata: Congress MP Shashi Tharoor during the Apeejay Kolkata Literary Festival 2026, at Alipore Museum, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (PTI Photo) (PTI01_11_2026_000649A)
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Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Saturday (January 24, 2026) said he has never violated the party’s stated positions in Parliament, asserting that his only public disagreement in principle was over Operation Sindhoor.
Answering questions during a session at the Kerala Literature Festival in Kozhikode, Mr. Tharoor said he had taken a strong stand on that issue and remained “unapologetic”.
His statement comes amidst recent reports stating “Tharoor’s differences with the party leadership”, with a speculation that he is upset over Congress leader Rahul Gandhi not adequately acknowledging his presence at a recent event in Kochi and over alleged repeated attempts by state leaders to sideline him.
Explaining his position, Mr. Tharoor said that, as an observer and writer, he had written a newspaper column after the Pahalgam incident, stating that it should not go unpunished and that there should be a kinetic response.
He said that while India is focused on development, it should not be dragged into a prolonged conflict with Pakistan, and that any action should be limited to targeting terrorist camps.
Mr. Tharoor said that to his surprise, the Indian government did exactly what he had recommended.
Mr. Tharoor said it was Jawaharlal Nehru who posed the famous question: “Who lives if India dies?”
“When India is at stake, when India’s security and its place in the world are involved, India comes first,” he said.
He added that political parties may have differences as part of the process of building a better India, but when national interests are involved, India must prevail.
Published – January 24, 2026 01:19 pm IST
