BJP Attacks Rahul After Tharoor Backs Modi
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor’s remarks on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s meeting with US President Donald Trump have triggered a fresh political exchange, with the BJP using his comments to target Rahul Gandhi and the Congress leadership.
Shashi Tharoor Backs PM Modi
Tharoor said PM Modi had conveyed India’s concerns to Trump over the safety of civilian sailors amid the conflict in the Middle East. He said India’s position was clear that commercial seafarers should not become targets during wartime.
Referring to Indian sailors on Indian-flagged vessels and other ships, Tharoor said civilian lives must be protected even if there are concerns over blockade violations. His remarks came after the Congress had accused the Prime Minister of not publicly raising the issue strongly enough during his meeting with Trump.
BJP Attacks Rahul Gandhi
The BJP seized on Tharoor’s comments and said they had exposed contradictions within the Congress. BJP spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari claimed Tharoor’s statement showed that PM Modi had acted in India’s national interest while Rahul Gandhi and the Congress had tried to attack him politically.
The party said Tharoor’s remarks amounted to an endorsement of Modi’s diplomatic handling of the issue at the G7 Summit.
Congress Questions Trump Meeting
The Congress had earlier criticised PM Modi over his interaction with Trump, questioning whether India had demanded accountability after three Indian seafarers were reportedly killed in a US strike on a merchant vessel in the Gulf region.
The issue has become part of a wider political debate over India’s diplomatic posture, the safety of Indian nationals abroad and the government’s response to US actions during the Middle East conflict.
