On May 30, 2025, a brewing conflict within the Congress party over Shashi Tharoor’s surgical strike remarks highlights deeper internal divisions, as Randeep Surjewala attempts to clarify the party’s stance while facing criticism from the BJP.
New Delhi: New Delhi witnessed escalating tensions within the Congress party on Thursday, May 29, 2025, as General Secretary Randeep Singh Surjewala addressed the controversy surrounding Shashi Tharoor’s remarks on surgical strikes. Tharoor, currently leading an all-party delegation to highlight India’s zero-tolerance policy on terrorism and Operation Sindoor, stirred debate with his comments in Panama.
Tharoor’s Remarks Spark Debate
Shashi Tharoor, a senior Congress MP from Kerala, stated in Panama that India’s approach to terrorism has shifted in recent years, citing the 2016 Uri surgical strike as the first instance of India crossing the Line of Control (LoC) to target terror bases. He also referenced the 2019 Balakot airstrike following the Pulwama attack, noting, “This time, we have struck at the Punjabi heartland of Pakistan, hitting terror bases in nine places.” Tharoor emphasized that such actions, including during the Kargil War, had not previously involved crossing the LoC, marking a significant policy shift.
Surjewala’s Clarification and Party Stance
Randeep Surjewala swiftly countered Tharoor’s claim, calling it “factually incorrect” while affirming Tharoor’s place in the Congress family. Surjewala insisted that surgical strikes were a regular feature during the Congress-led UPA government, citing operations like those in Poonch’s Bhattal sector (2008) and Kel’s Sharda sector (2011). He referenced former PM Manmohan Singh’s statements and Tharoor’s own book, The Paradoxical Prime Minister, which mentions UPA-era strikes. Surjewala stressed, “There is no acrimony; we only corrected the record to honor our armed forces’ actions under Congress governments.”
Internal Criticism and BJP’s Rebuttal
Tharoor’s remarks drew sharp criticism from within Congress. Leaders like Pawan Khera and Udit Raj accused him of undermining the party’s history. Khera shared excerpts from Tharoor’s book, highlighting his past criticism of the Modi government for politicizing the 2016 strikes, while Raj called Tharoor a “super spokesperson of the BJP,” alleging a conspiracy to erase Congress’s legacy. On X, Tharoor hit back, saying, “I was speaking only about reprisals for terrorist attacks, not previous wars,” and accused critics of distorting his words. Meanwhile, the BJP dismissed Congress’s claims of UPA-era strikes, citing a 2018 DGMO response to an RTI query that confirmed no official record of such operations before 2016, labeling Congress’s narrative as “corrupt.”
Underlying Party Dynamics
The controversy reflects deeper tensions within Congress. Tharoor’s selection to lead the delegation, despite the party’s preference for other leaders, has fueled discontent. Some party insiders, as reported in recent news, view Tharoor’s statements as aligning too closely with the government’s narrative, especially post-Operation Sindoor, where India targeted terror camps in Pakistan. Political analyst Dr. Vinayak Rao noted, “This episode exposes Congress’s struggle to balance national unity with internal cohesion, especially on sensitive issues like national security.” The public spat, occurring just a day before Goa Statehood Day celebrations on May 30, 2025, underscores the party’s challenge in maintaining a unified front.
