Spoke as an Indian: Shashi Tharoor reacts after Congress' 'Lakshman Rekha' remark

India Today

A day after Congress reprimanded Shashi Tharoor for praising the government's handling of India-Pakistan crisis, he said he spoke as an Indian, and he is not a spokesperson for the party.

Transcript

00:00So it seems that there is first reaction that is coming in from Congress leader Shashi Tharoor

00:13after Congress seems to have reprimanded him.

00:16Shashi Tharoor, as we have seen, has been standing with the action that's been taken by the Indian Army

00:25and has also talked about the mediation angle.

00:28There, which is contrary to what Congress has been raising.

00:32Congress has been raising that why is a third party, that is the US, there claiming to be mediators.

00:39Whereas Shashi Tharoor in certain interviews has said that India will not let a third party come in as mediators.

00:46But now Tharoor is saying that this was my opinion and it is not that he's not a spokesperson for Congress.

00:54Very clear, I'm not a spokesman of the party.

01:00I'm not a spokesman of the government either, I might add.

01:02I'm, you know, for whatever it's worth, people seem to think I have some knowledge about some of these subjects

01:07and so they come and ask me my views.

01:09And I make it very clear, sometimes explicitly, sometimes implicitly, that I'm expressing my personal views as an Indian,

01:15as a proud citizen and certainly don't forget that my own party had declared complete solidarity

01:20with the government and the armed forces at the beginning of this conflict.

01:23And in that spirit, I also express that support.

01:26Now let's explain to you why Shashi Tharoor is giving this explanation now.

01:32Congress party has pulled up Shashi Tharoor for deviating from party line.

01:37While the grand old party is demanding that PM Modi breaks his silence on Trump's assertions

01:42about the role of the US in facilitating cessation of hostilities between India and Pakistani armed forces,

01:48in multiple interviews, Shashi Tharoor was seen praising the government for handling the crisis

01:53and executing Operation Sindhu efficiently.

01:56Now, sources say during a meeting of senior Congress leaders,

01:59Party General Secretary Jairam Ramesh referred to Tharoor's statements that were in deviance with the party line,

02:08while insisting that it was directed to all leaders and not specific to a particular person.

02:14The leader said Congress is a party that gives a lot of freedom to its leaders,

02:19but there is a feeling that Shashi Tharoor has crossed the Lakshman Rekha this time.

02:27You know, so listening to you, I get a sense that you're giving Narendra Modi and his government

02:3110 on 10 or 9.5 on 10 for both the way they conducted Operation Sindhu,

02:38handled the Pahalgaam attack and even handled the world diplomatically.

02:42There are others who are questioning, even in your own party,

02:46whether Mr. Modi has allowed Kashmir to get internationalized,

02:50whether to allow an American president to announce a ceasefire between India and Pakistan

02:54is setting a dangerous precedent.

02:59Am I to understand that you're giving 9.5 or 10 out of 10 to Prime Minister Modi,

03:04which is unusual, remember, for an opposition leader to do so?

03:07And I think it's not my place to award marks to anybody, let alone my betters,

03:12let alone the head of our government.

03:14So I'm not avoiding any marks for anybody.

03:15All I'm saying right now is I believe that the matters that were under our control,

03:21namely how to conduct this operation, including its naming it, its presentation of it,

03:26the information briefings, all that were very well done.

03:28If you asked me whether Mr. Trump announcing this ceasefire was a good idea,

03:32it was a terrible idea.

03:34But if you're implying that we could have controlled it,

03:37or that perhaps a chief minister from another,

03:39a prime minister from another party could have controlled Mr. Trump better,

03:42well, I'm very happy to wish you good luck in doing that, Radheep.

03:46I think...

03:47I think...

03:48I think...

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