A public spat has erupted within India's Congress party, pitting senior leader Shashi Tharoor against party spokesperson Pawan Khera. The disagreement centers on remarks Tharoor reportedly made concerning Prime Minister Narendra Modi's discussions with then-US President Donald Trump regarding the safety of Indian civilian sailors.
Khera Questions Tharoor's Account
The controversy ignited after Tharoor was quoted suggesting that PM Modi had raised concerns about civilian seafarers during his interactions with Trump. This prompted a sharp rebuke from Pawan Khera, who challenged the veracity of Tharoor's claims.
Khera took to social media, sharing a video of Tharoor's remarks and questioning their basis:
"My senior colleague Dr Shashi Tharoor's admiration for PM Modi appears to have transcended the limitations of the physical world. He now seems capable of hearing what Modi doesn't even say."
Khera specifically referenced the official Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) readout of the Modi-Trump meeting, which occurred on the sidelines of a G7 Summit. He noted that the MEA's official record made no mention of the killing of three Indian sailors in the Gulf of Oman, nor any indication that Modi challenged Trump's claims about securing a ceasefire by threatening India with trade consequences. Khera further highlighted the absence of any reference to an alleged attack on the Iranian frigate IRIS Dena, which had participated in MILAN-2026, in the official statement.
"And yet, Tharoor ji somehow heard forceful assertions, robust pushback and uncompromising diplomacy that never made it into the official record," Khera added, sarcastically remarking, "For devotees of the 'Maha-Maanav Modi', the less he says, the more they hear."
Tharoor Defends His Stance
In response to Khera's criticism, Tharoor clarified his position, asserting that he had not attributed any words to PM Modi that were not already in the public domain. He emphasized that his comments were focused on the critical issue of citizen safety.
"Three Indians lost their lives. My remarks were about the safety of our citizens and the principle that civilian seafarers should never be targets of military action," Tharoor posted on X (formerly Twitter). "Frankly, I find it extraordinary that a statement about protecting Indian civilian sailors is being twisted into a partisan political controversy."
Tharoor further stated that his comments were based on widely published media reports. He shared a link to a news report and a Google Gemini-generated summary, both of which indicated that PM Modi had indeed raised concerns about civilian seafarers and global shipping routes during a G7 Outreach Session following the Gulf of Oman incident.
He concluded by defending his integrity:
"I have never in my life been accused of misrepresenting or distorting any facts or statements and I stand by my summary of what I read in the print media about these remarks, which were reportedly made when our PM was seated next to @realDonaldTrump."
Tharoor stressed that concern for Indian lives should be a unifying factor, not a cause for political division.