Shashi Tharoor upsets Congress after praising PM Modi's Operation Sindoor during Panama visit

Addressing a gathering in Panama City as the head of one of the seven Indian delegations that have travelled abroad to explain Operation Sindoor and expose Pakistan's link to terror,  Tharoor said terrorists targeting India have realised in recent years that they will have to pay.

"Our Prime Minister has made it very clear. Operation Sindoor was necessary because these terrorists came and wiped the sindoor off the foreheads of 26 women, depriving them of their husbands. In fact, some women cried out to the terrorists, 'kill me too'. And they said, 'No, go back, tell what happened to you. We heard, we heard their cries and India decided that the colour of the Sindoor, the vermilion colour on the forehead of our women, will also match the colour of the blood of the killers, the perpetrators, the attackers," he said.

Shortly after Tharoor praised India's retaliatory strikes since 2016, his party colleague Pawan Khera tagged him in a video in which former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh says that many surgical strikes were conducted during the UPA era.

While Khera just added a "CC" to refer to Tharoor, the message was clear that the Congress is not happy.

Operation Sindoor was a fierce military operation launched by the Indian Air Force (IAF) on May 7 in response to the Pahalgam attack that killed 26 tourists who were enjoying their vacation at Baisaran Valley, which is referred to as India's Switzerland.

The operation aimed to dismantle terrorist bases in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).

After the Pakistan Army again targeted Indian civilians and resorted to cross-border firing, the Indian Armed Forces retaliated, destroying defence systems of the hostile neighbour.

Following the action, the government has formed seven all-party delegations, which are visiting key partner countries, including members of the UN Security Council, to explain the purpose of Operation Sindoor.

Tharoor has been making headlines for his articulation of India's position in the aftermath of the Pahalgam attack and Operation Sindoor.

However, his remarks have not impressed the party leadership, which has distanced itself from Tharoor. Congress's communications head Jairam Ramesh has said, "When Tharoor saab speaks, it is not the party's opinion."

The Congress, which assured full support to the Centre in its retaliatory action against the Pahalgam terror attack, has now changed track and asked the government to come clean on what led to the ceasefire.

It even questioned the US's role in it. Tharoor, meanwhile, has praised the government's handling of the situation.

Reports suggested that some Congress leaders, during a CWC meeting, had alleged that the Thiruvananthapuram MP had crossed the 'Laxman Rekha' with his statements.

The phrase "Lakshman Rekha", borrowed from the Ramayana, is often used metaphorically to indicate a boundary that should not be crossed.

Clarifying his stand, Tharoor had said his remarks in support of the BJP-led Centre during the ongoing India-Pakistan conflict were made in a personal capacity, and did not reflect the official stance of the Congress party.

He maintained that he shared his opinion as an Indian citizen.