2 days ago
Last Updated:May 29, 2025, 14:29 IST
Pawan Khera subtly slammed Shashi Tharoor by sharing a 2018 excerpt from Tharoor’s own book, wherein he condemned the BJP’s politicisation of surgical strikes.
Pawan Khera (L)/Shashi Tharoor (R) (Photos: PTI)
Hours after Shashi Tharoor asserted his remark on the surgical strike was distorted, Congress leader Pawan Khera shared an excerpt from the former’s 2018 book ‘The Paradoxical Prime Minister’.
The part of the text shared by Khera highlighted Tharoor’s criticism of the “shameless exploitation" of the 2016 surgical strikes as an election tool by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
“I agree with that Dr Shashi Tharoor who wrote about surgical strikes in his book in 2018 – ‘The Paradoxical Prime Minister’. #ReadingNow," read Pawan Khera’s X post, which appeared to subtly critique Tharoor’s recent remarks praising the Modi government’s ‘Operation Sindoor’.
The underlined passage from Tharoor’s book, as shared by Pawan Khera, read, “The shameless exploitation of the 2016 surgical strikes along the Line of Control with Pakistan, and a military raid in hot pursuit of rebels in Myanmar, as party election tool–something the Congress had never done despite having authorized several such strikes earlier–marked a particularly disgraceful dilution of the principle that national security issues require both discretion and non-partisanship."
Khera’s post comes in the wake of Tharoor’s statements in Panama, where he lauded India’s counter-terrorism measures, including the 2016 Uri surgical strike and the 2019 Balakot airstrike, as marking a shift in India’s approach to terrorism.
In an X post on Thursday, Tharoor clarified and pointed out that he spoke only about reprisals for terrorist attacks and not about previous wars.
“After a long and successful day in Panama, I have to wind up at midnight where with departure for Bogota, Colombia in six hours, so I don’t really have time for this — but anyway: For those zealots fulminating about my supposed ignorance of Indian valour across the LoC in the past, I was clearly and explicitly speaking only about reprisals for terrorist attacks and not about previous wars," he said.
“My remarks were preceded by a reference to the several attacks that have taken place in recent years alone, during which previous Indian responses were both restrained and constrained by our responsible respect for the LoC and the IB," Shashi Tharoor clarified.
Recently, Udit Raj criticised Tharoor over his statement in Panama as part of the multi-party delegation and called him a “spokesperson for the publicity stunts of the BJP".
Later, Pawan Khera and Congress leader Jairam Ramesh also endorsed Udit Raj’s criticism, signalling that all is not well within the party.
Tharoor is leading an all-party delegation to put forth India’s stance against terrorism.
His delegation is on a tour to the United States, Guyana, Panama and other nations.
Tharoor was not among the official choices suggested by the Congress to the government for the outreach delegations.
Location : First Published:News india 'I Agree': Pawan Khera's 'Shameless Exploitation' Reminder Amid Tharoor's Surgical Strike Remark Row
