Panama, May 29 (IANS) Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Thursday hit back at the ‘zealots’, in an apparent reference to Congress leader Udit Raj and said that his statement on India’s evolving counter-terrorism operation were being distorted and twisted for ‘vested interests’.

The Thiruvananthapuram MP, while heading from Panama to Bogota (Colombia) – the next destination in India’s global outreach mission on Operation Sindoor, took to X on Thursday and stated that he was was clearly and explicitly speaking about reprisals for terrorist attacks and not about previous wars.

Congress leader Udit Raj, rather a section of party leaders, got riled up over Tharoor’s praise of Modi government’s policy of zero tolerance on terrorism in Panama and took a swipe, dubbing him as the BJP’s ‘super spokesperson’.

Tharoor ticked off Congress colleague without taking name and wrote on X, “For those zealots fulminating about my supposed ignorance of Indian valour across the LoC…. I was clearly and explicitly speaking only about reprisals for terrorist attacks and not about previous wars.”

He further said “critics and trolls” are welcome to distort his views and that he has “better things to do”. Tharoor said that his 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.

The row erupted after Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, leading a multi-party delegation as part of a global outreach programme, said in recent years, India’s stance on terrorism had changed and that terrorists now understand they will face consequences for their actions.

His remark did not go down well with his party colleagues, who launched a scathing attack on him for ‘undermining’ Congress ‘golden history’.

Udit Raj said that Tharoor should be declared the BJP’s spokesperson and claimed that the latter was “denigrating the golden history of Congress” by suggesting that, before the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government, India never crossed the Line of Control (LoC) or international border.

“In 1965, the Indian Army entered Pakistan at multiple points, surprising the Pakistanis in the Lahore sector. In 1971, India split Pakistan into two, and during the UPA government, several surgical strikes were conducted without politicising them. How could you be so dishonest to the party that gave you so much?” Raj posted.

Congress leader Pawan Khera also endorsed Udit Raj’s scathing attack on Tharoor by reposting his tweet.

–IANS

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