Thu May 29 06:26:27 UTC 2025: **News Article:**
**Tharoor Defends Remarks on Surgical Strikes Amid Congress Criticism**
*Panama City, May 29, 2025* – Congress MP Shashi Tharoor is facing criticism from within his own party after comments he made in Panama City regarding India’s surgical strikes across the Line of Control (LoC). Tharoor stated that the first time India breached the LoC to conduct a surgical strike on a terror base was a novel act, a statement that drew immediate rebukes from fellow Congress leaders.
Udit Raj, chairman of the Unorganised Workers and Employees Congress, sarcastically suggested Tharoor should be made a BJP spokesperson, accusing him of denigrating the Congress’s history. Raj and other leaders, including Jairam Ramesh and Pawan Khera, pointed to historical examples of Indian military action across the border, including the 1965 and 1971 wars, and claimed surgical strikes were also conducted during the UPA government.
Tharoor responded to the criticism, clarifying that his remarks referred specifically to reprisals for terrorist attacks in recent years, during which India had previously shown restraint. He stated he was “explicitly speaking only about reprisals for terrorist attacks and not about previous wars.” He accused critics of distorting his views.
The controversy follows Tharoor’s recent comments on the India-Pakistan conflict after the Pahalgam attack, which have reportedly diverged from the party’s official stance. The incident highlights internal divisions within the Congress party regarding national security matters.
First Piper 