Shashi Tharoor acknowledged Prime Minister Modi’s position on the treatment of Indian sailors in conflicts and described it as being in line with national interests.
The Bharatiya Janata Party on Saturday launched a fresh attack on Congress leader Rahul Gandhi after senior Congress MP Shashi Tharoor backed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s stance on the treatment of civilian sailors in conflict zones, a statement the ruling party said undermined the opposition’s criticism of the government.
Speaking about Prime Minister Modi’s recent meeting with US President Donald Trump and developments in West Asia, Tharoor said Modi was right in saying that civilian seafarers involved in commercial shipping should not be treated as combatants during armed conflicts.
“When it comes to Indian seafarers, the Prime Minister has made his point forcefully, both in public discourse and in private, that you have to understand that we have seafarers in different ships. It was not an Indian ship, but even in ships flying the flag of other countries, there are a lot of Indian crew and sailors. As long as they are civilians doing commercial shipping, they should not be treated like combatants in a war,” Tharoor told news agency PTI.
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Watch his statement here:
“What Mr. Modi said is true. That sailors should be exempted from combat attacks,” Tharoor said, expressing hope that ongoing ceasefire efforts in the region would lead to lasting peace.
Tharoor’s comments come in stark contrast to the Congress leadership, which sought to attack the Modi government over the killing of Indian sailors in the conflict-hit West Asia region and question the Prime Minister’s response to the issue. Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge accused the government of remaining silent about the killing of Indian citizens.
BJP attacks Rahul Gandhi
BJP leaders quickly seized on Tharoor’s remarks and used them to target Rahul Gandhi and the Congress leadership.
BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla shared a post on X, saying that Tharoor’s remarks were a “birthday gift” for Rahul Gandhi, and it was the day before, that they “debunked his fake narrative”.
“Yesterday was Rahul Gandhi’s birthday. MP Shashi Tharoor once again breaks his fake narrative as his birthday gift,” Poonawalla wrote.
He also highlighted Tharoor’s earlier praise of Modi, describing the Prime Minister as a “visionary”, “dynamic”, “great orator” and “someone who is making a huge impact on India”.
“I hope Rahul Gandhi doesn’t sack him!” Poonawalla added.
In a video statement, the BJP spokesperson intensified the attack, claiming that Tharoor’s comments reflect growing recognition of Prime Minister Modi’s leadership.
“It is embarrassing that it was Rahul Gandhi’s birthday yesterday, but he did not receive any gifts. Congress MP Shashi Tharoor took a stand to praise PM Modi. This shows that Rahul has lost the 2029 elections and public support. He has been made into a real neta, not a real neta,” Poonawalla said.
BJP spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari also weighed in, saying that Tharoor’s statements exposed the contradiction between the Congress MP and Rahul Gandhi on issues related to national interest.
“Shashi Tharoor exposes Rahul Gandhi. Congress leader praises PM Narendra Modi’s diplomacy. When it comes to protecting India’s national interest, PM Modi comes first; when it comes to speaking against India’s national interest, Rahul Gandhi leaves everyone behind,” Bhandari said in a post on X.
The Congress has not officially responded to the recent attacks by the BJP.
