Shashi Tharoor’s Stand on Operation Sindoor Sparks Fresh Tensions with Congress

Shashi Tharoor’s Stand on Operation Sindoor Sparks Fresh Tensions with Congress

In a bold and telling move, senior Congress MP Shashi Tharoor declined to participate in a high-profile Parliamentary debate on the Pahalgam terror attack and India's military response, Operation Sindoor. Sources close to the matter reveal that Tharoor turned down a direct request from Rahul Gandhi’s office to lead the opposition’s charge — a move that has sparked renewed speculation about his strained ties with the Congress party.

Why Tharoor Said No

At the heart of the controversy is Tharoor’s principled stand: he refused to speak against Operation Sindoor, a position that contradicted the Congress party’s current narrative. Having earlier praised the operation — and Prime Minister Narendra Modi's decisive response — Tharoor reportedly made it clear he would not "contradict himself for the sake of party messaging." That candid refusal cost him a seat at the debate, as Congress swiftly replaced him with Rahul Gandhi, Gaurav Gogoi, and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra as the party’s voices on the floor.

An Uneasy Alliance with Congress

This isn’t the first public crack in Tharoor’s relationship with the Congress. His praise for Modi’s anti-terror doctrine during a government delegation visit to the United States had already drawn internal criticism. The moment was seen as a tipping point in a relationship that’s been uneasy since Tharoor’s involvement with the G-23 — the group of Congress dissenters who questioned the Gandhi family's leadership following multiple electoral defeats.

Despite his repeated affirmations of loyalty to the Congress — citing 16 years of ideological commitment — Tharoor has become an outlier within the party. His centrist, often nuanced views frequently put him at odds with the party’s aggressive positioning on national security issues.

Silence, Symbolism, and Political Optics

When approached by NDTV today regarding his absence from the debate list, Tharoor declined to respond. Instead, party colleague Renuka Chowdhury offered a cryptic defense, stating, “He is constitutionally empowered to speak anywhere.” The message was clear: Tharoor's silence was not due to inability, but choice.

His absence was especially conspicuous in a debate that was both a political and strategic showcase. Operation Sindoor, India’s military response to the Pahalgam terror attack, triggered a nearly 100-hour standoff with Pakistan and has since been a central issue in national discourse. The Congress’ struggle to maintain a cohesive narrative on the operation has been laid bare — and Tharoor’s refusal to toe the line only deepens that fracture.

The Bigger Picture

Speculation about Tharoor’s future in the Congress is likely to intensify. Although he has categorically denied any intentions to join the BJP, describing Modi as a “prime asset for India” and hailing his "dynamism" hasn’t helped calm nerves within the party ranks.

His refusal to fall in line with Congress’ messaging on Operation Sindoor may signal a turning point. Whether this marks the beginning of a formal exit or remains another chapter in Tharoor’s long history of ideological independence within the party remains to be seen.

For now, one thing is certain: Shashi Tharoor is no longer content playing by the old political rules. And that makes him one of the most unpredictable — and potentially transformative — figures in India’s evolving political theatre.