New Delhi June 17, 2025 (ANI): Congress MP Shashi Tharoor praised the depth and seriousness of a Parliamentary Committee meeting on India’s Indian Ocean Strategy, highlighting its strong defence focus. With senior officials like the Defence Secretary, Vice Chief of the Navy, and MEA’s Secretary East in attendance, members engaged in over two and a half hours of detailed discussion. Tharoor noted the committee’s active participation, discussing key issues such as the Blue Water Navy and India’s maritime capabilities. While Operation Sindoor wasn’t formally addressed, related defence concerns surfaced. A comprehensive report will soon be submitted to Parliament.As the Parliamentary Committee meeting on external affairs concludes, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor said, "We had an ongoing subject called India's Indian Ocean Strategy, which is a foreign policy subject that has important defence dimensions. We also had the Defence Secretary and the Navy present to brief us. The discussions were outstanding. We spent more than two and a half hours in serious conversation on various aspects, which you will see in the report submitted to Parliament. We were blessed to have the Vice Chief of the Navy, the Defence Secretary, and the Secretary East of the Ministry of External Affairs. It was a very thorough discussion. Every single one of the committee members present asked questions... It's a tremendous sense of involvement in this discussion. We'll have a good report coming out of this very comprehensive discussion... All of this (Blue Water Navy) was discussed... The whole idea of the Blue Water Navy, our military capacity beyond that, everything was thoroughly discussed. Operation Sindoor was not discussed, but some of the elements that became apparent during that confrontation came up in conversations..."
00:00We had an ongoing subject called India's Indian Ocean Strategy, which is a foreign policy subject that has important defense dimensions.
00:09Today, we also had the Defense Secretary and the Navy present to brief us.
00:14The discussions were outstanding. We spent more than two and a half hours in serious conversation with various aspects,
00:21much of which you will see in the report that is submitted to Parliament.
00:25We were blessed to have the Vice Chief of the Navy as well.
00:30Plus the Defense Secretary, plus the Secretary East and the Ministry of Extendment.
00:35A very thorough discussion. Every single one of the committee members present ask questions.
00:41Every one of the MPs. There's a tremendous sense of involvement in this discussion.
00:46I think we'll have a good report coming out of this very comprehensive discussion.
00:49India is facing challenges in blue water as well. So what was this topic of the discussion?
00:55All of this was discussed. I am not at liberty to say what is going to be in the report until the report is accepted and agreed.
01:02But I can tell you that as far as the discussion was concerned, the whole idea of the blue water Navy, our military capacity beyond that, everything was thoroughly discussed.
01:10Sir, anything about the confrontation, the recent confrontation with Pakistan?
01:14The specific question of Operation Sindhu was not discussed, but some of the elements that became apparent during that confrontation certainly did come up.
