New Delhi, May 29 – Congress Member of Parliament Shashi Tharoor on Thursday clarified that his recent comments regarding India's surgical strikes were misrepresented and that he was specifically referring to the post-2016 counter-terror operations across the Line of Control (LoC), not earlier military engagements or wars.
The clarification followed Tharoor’s Wednesday remark that India had, for the first time, crossed the LoC to conduct a surgical strike in September 2016 under the current administration—a statement that stirred political controversy and drew criticism from within his own party.
Addressing the backlash in a post on X (formerly Twitter), Tharoor, who is currently on an overseas visit, stated:
“After a long and successful day in Panama, I have to wind up at midnight here with departure for Bogotá, 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…"
Tharoor further elaborated:
“1. I was clearly and explicitly speaking only about reprisals for terrorist attacks and not about previous wars; and
2. 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.”
He concluded his post by stating, “As usual, critics and trolls are welcome to distort my views and words as they see fit. I genuinely have better things to do. Goodnight.”
The Original Statement
Tharoor, who is part of an all-party parliamentary delegation on a Latin American visit, had earlier remarked:
“For the first time, India breached the Line of Control (LoC) between India and Pakistan to conduct a surgical strike on a terror base, a launch pad… (after) the Uri attack in September 2016. That was something we had not done before. Even during the Kargil War, we had not crossed the LoC.”
Response from the Congress Party
Tharoor’s comments sparked sharp reactions from within the Congress party. Party spokesperson Pawan Khera refuted the claim, stating it was factually inaccurate. He cited a media report referring to a 2016 briefing by then Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar to a parliamentary committee, in which he noted that “target-specific, limited-calibre, counter-terrorist operations” had been carried out across the LoC even prior to 2016.
Congress leader Udit Raj also weighed in, sarcastically suggesting that the BJP should appoint Tharoor as External Affairs Minister, given his apparent enthusiasm in defending the government’s record on cross-border operations.
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