Congress MP Shashi Tharoor said on Sunday that "comments and criticism" on the Modi government's handling of Operation Sindoor and subsequent military hostilities with Pakistan can be raised once the seven all-party delegations are back in India after completing their "mission" abroad.
"I think this is a time now for us to focus on our mission. Undoubtedly, in a thriving democracy, there are bound to be comments and criticisms, but I think at this point we can't afford to dwell on them," Tharoor told reporters in Brazil, after arriving with his group, from Colombia.
"When we get back to India, no doubt we'll have our chance to speak to our colleagues, critics, media there. But right now we're focused on the countries we're coming to and getting the message out to the people here," the Thiruvananthapuram MP added.
The remarks by Tharoor, the leader of the all-party delegation to the United States and Latin America, came a day after his party upped its attack on the Centre over India's "losses" in aerial combat with Pakistan on May 7, when the Indian armed forces conducted precision strikes, under Operation Sindoor, targeting nine terror facilities in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
The Congress' attack was prompted by an interview of India's Chief of Defence Staff, General Anil Chauhan, in Singapore. Speaking to Bloomberg TV, during the Shangri-La Dialogue, General Chauhan, the country's senior-most military officer, remarked, "What is important is that, not the jet being down, but why they were being downed. We identified tactical errors, corrected them, and resumed operations within two days."
Also Read | 'Fog of war lifting': Kharge attacks Modi govt after remarks by CDS Anil Chauhan on Operation Sindoor
Pakistan has repeatedly claimed its air force shot down "six to seven" fighter jets of the Indian Air Force. India's position, without an explicit denial or confirmation of Pakistan's claim, has been that "losses are part of combat."
General Chauhan, on his part, dismissed the claim as "absolutely incorrect."
Operation Sindoor was India's retaliation to the April 22 attack by Pakistan-backed terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam.
Following the attack, the government also constituted seven multi-party delegations. Each group - there are 51 members in total - will go to various countries (33) to reiterate India's "zero-tolerance stance" on terrorism.
"I think this is a time now for us to focus on our mission. Undoubtedly, in a thriving democracy, there are bound to be comments and criticisms, but I think at this point we can't afford to dwell on them," Tharoor told reporters in Brazil, after arriving with his group, from Colombia.
"When we get back to India, no doubt we'll have our chance to speak to our colleagues, critics, media there. But right now we're focused on the countries we're coming to and getting the message out to the people here," the Thiruvananthapuram MP added.
#WATCH | Brasilia, Brazil: When asked about criticism and questions raised by Congress, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor says, "I think this is a time now for us to focus on our mission. Undoubtedly, in a thriving democracy, there are bound to be comments and criticisms, but I think at… pic.twitter.com/24bKFJ3dM5
— ANI (@ANI) June 1, 2025
The remarks by Tharoor, the leader of the all-party delegation to the United States and Latin America, came a day after his party upped its attack on the Centre over India's "losses" in aerial combat with Pakistan on May 7, when the Indian armed forces conducted precision strikes, under Operation Sindoor, targeting nine terror facilities in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
The Congress' attack was prompted by an interview of India's Chief of Defence Staff, General Anil Chauhan, in Singapore. Speaking to Bloomberg TV, during the Shangri-La Dialogue, General Chauhan, the country's senior-most military officer, remarked, "What is important is that, not the jet being down, but why they were being downed. We identified tactical errors, corrected them, and resumed operations within two days."
Also Read | 'Fog of war lifting': Kharge attacks Modi govt after remarks by CDS Anil Chauhan on Operation Sindoor
Pakistan has repeatedly claimed its air force shot down "six to seven" fighter jets of the Indian Air Force. India's position, without an explicit denial or confirmation of Pakistan's claim, has been that "losses are part of combat."
General Chauhan, on his part, dismissed the claim as "absolutely incorrect."
Operation Sindoor was India's retaliation to the April 22 attack by Pakistan-backed terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam.
Following the attack, the government also constituted seven multi-party delegations. Each group - there are 51 members in total - will go to various countries (33) to reiterate India's "zero-tolerance stance" on terrorism.
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