Shashi Tharoor, Congress clash again after MP backs PM Modi’s G7 remarks with Trump

A fresh disagreement has emerged between Congress leader Shashi Tharoor and the party leadership after the Thiruvananthapuram MP supported Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s remarks during his meeting with US President Donald Trump at the G7 Summit.

Responding to criticism from within the Congress, Tharoor said some people were more focused on “scoring political points” rather than addressing the issue he raised.

The controversy began after Tharoor said Modi had clearly conveyed India’s position during both public and private discussions with Trump.

“It is important to convey the message that in wartime, civilian sailors on commercial ships should not be targets of combat. They are not soldiers, and that is the message PM Modi conveyed,” Tharoor was quoted as saying by PTI.

Congress attacks Tharoor

Congress leader Pawan Khera responded by taking a swipe at Tharoor, saying the MP’s “aspirations” for the prime minister had gone beyond “the limitations of the physical world”.

Khera suggested that Tharoor had interpreted statements that were not part of the official record.

“Tharoor ji somehow heard forceful assertions, robust pushback, and uncompromising diplomacy that never made it into the official record,” Khera said.

Tharoor defends his remarks

Tharoor hit back by sharing reports about the safety of Indian sailors being discussed during Modi’s meeting with Trump.

He also posted a summary generated by Google’s AI tool Gemini, which said the deaths of three Indian sailors in a US attack in the Gulf of Oman were raised during the conversation.

Tharoor said he stood by his interpretation of media reports and rejected allegations that he had distorted facts.

“I read widely and retain what I read. I have never in my life been accused of misrepresenting or distorting any facts or statements,” he wrote.

The Congress MP accused critics of focusing on political arguments instead of the issue of protecting Indian citizens caught in conflict situations.

“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,” Tharoor said, adding that those prioritising political point-scoring were revealing more about themselves than about him.