Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Friday said he is “unapologetic” about his support for Operation Sindoor and clarified that he has never gone against the official position of the Congress party in Parliament. Speaking at the Kerala Literature Festival in Kozhikode on 24 January, the Thiruvananthapuram MP explained that his views on the military operation were his only public disagreement in principle with the party leadership.

Tharoor’s statement came at a time when there is speculation about differences between him and the Congress leadership. Reports suggested that he felt ignored when Rahul Gandhi did not acknowledge him during a Maha Panchayath event in Kochi on 19 January. Soon after, Tharoor did not attend a key Congress strategy meeting related to the Kerala Assembly elections held a day earlier. However, his office clarified that he could not attend the meeting because he already had commitments at the literature festival.

Operation Sindoor was launched in May 2025 after a terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, in which 26 people were killed. Following the attack, the Indian military carried out strikes on nine terrorist camps located in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

Speaking about his position, Tharoor said he had written a newspaper column after the Pahalgam attack in which he called for a strong response. Later, when the government launched Operation Sindoor, he publicly supported the action. He also mentioned that Prime Minister Narendra Modi personally chose him to lead a multi-party diplomatic delegation that explained the operation to international partners.

Tharoor made it clear that his support for the operation was based on national interest. He said that when the country’s security is involved, “India comes first” over party differences. He also stressed that this was the only issue on which he differed from the Congress leadership in principle.

His role in the government’s diplomatic outreach, however, drew criticism from several Congress leaders. Many of them questioned whether his stance was in line with the party’s official position. Responding to these concerns, Tharoor said he has always followed Congress positions on all other issues in Parliament. He reiterated that Operation Sindoor was his only principled departure from the party line.

“I remain unapologetic,” Tharoor said while speaking about his stand on the operation. He also asserted that he has never violated the party’s stated positions in Parliament and has consistently supported Congress policies on all other matters.

By explaining his position in detail, Tharoor sought to clarify that his support for Operation Sindoor was not a sign of political defiance but a decision based on what he believed was necessary for the nation. At the same time, his remarks have once again highlighted the internal discussions and differing views within the Congress party on matters related to national security and political strategy.