Not sign of my ‘leaping to join’ PM’s party: Tharoor on Operation Sindoor outreach article

Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Tuesday said his article on Operation Sindoor's global outreach was not a sign of his "leaping to join" Prime Minister Narendra Modi's party but a statement of national unity, interest and standing up for India.

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Tharoor, in an article published in The Hindu on Monday, said Modi's energy, dynamism and willingness to engage remained a "prime asset" for India on the global stage but deserved greater backing.

His remarks were seen as likely to irk his Congress party and widen cracks in his ties with its leadership.

Asked about the article at an event here, the Thiruvananthapuram MP said: "It is not a sign of my leaping to join the prime minister's party (the BJP) as some people unfortunately have been implying. It is a statement of national unity, of national interest and of standing up for India, which to my mind is fundamentally why I came back to India after 25 years of service at the UN."

"I did so to serve India, and I am very proud to have the opportunity to do so," Tharoor added.

Tharoor said the article was written about 'Operation Sindoor' in which he described the success of the diplomatic outreach mission.

"People always tend to see all this in the context of today's news. It is an article in which I describe the success of this outreach mission, which, amongst other things, showcased the unity of all parties behind the matter of vital national interest," Tharoor said.

"So, I said the prime minister himself has demonstrated dynamism and energy in engaging with other countries. He has travelled to more countries than any prime minister, and done so in order to take the message of India around the world," the Congress leader said.