Congress MP Shashi Tharoor is once again facing criticism from within his party after he acknowledged the progress toward normalcy in Jammu and Kashmir. The rebuke came shortly after Tharoor shared a photograph of his meeting with Manoj Sinha, the Lieutenant Governor of the Union Territory, where they discussed the prevailing situation in the region.
“In Srinagar! Had the honour of an excellent meeting with Lieutenant-Governor Shri@manojsinha_at Lok Bhavan today. We discussed the situation in the state and the encouraging progress towards normalcy,” Tharoor posted on X.
“When I arrived he was chatting to the President of the Kashmiri Writers’ Association and the Women’s Organisation — a positive outreach that I welcomed. Many challenges remain and much remains to be done, but I left the meeting feeling more positives than I have felt for a while,” he added. Responding to the post, Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee chief Ravinder Sharma asked the Thiruvananthapuram MP to meet local people to have a better understanding of the ground situation. He also criticised Tharoor for not meeting party leaders during his J-K visit.
“People of Kashmir too were expecting you to meet them to have a better understanding of the ground realities. Atleast could've spared sometime to meet own partymen fighting for statehood snatched from us 7 years ago,” Sharma posted on X.
Tharoor faces criticism for 'praising' PM Modi
This is not the first time Tharoor has faced such criticism from party colleagues. On Saturday, Congress reacted strongly to Tharoor’s reported praise of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The party said his admiration for PM Modi seemed to have gone too far and was being interpreted in a way that went beyond normal political comment. The remarks triggered a fresh row within the party.
The controversy began after Tharoor was reported to have said that Prime Minister Modi had made his position clear in both public and private meetings with US President Donald Trump over the killing of three Indian sailors amid US Naval blockade.
Responding to the criticism, Tharoor said it was surprising that his statement was being given a political twist. He said his remarks were focused on the safety of Indian citizens, especially civilian sailors, and not on political praise.
"Frankly, I find it extraordinary that a statement about protecting Indian civilian sailors is being twisted into a partisan political controversy.Three Indians lost their lives.My remarks were about the safety of our citizens and the principle that civilian seafarers should never be targets of military action," he said.
