New Delhi: Senior Congress leader and Lok Sabha MP Shashi Tharoor has again taken a position that diverges from his party’s line, defending Prime Minister Narendra Modi over a sensitive foreign policy issue.
The Congress had criticised Modi after his meeting with US President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the recent G7 summit in Evian, France. The party alleged that Modi did not raise the deaths of three Indian sailors in an attack in the Gulf of Oman, and did not press the US to apologise.
Tharoor, however, said Modi clearly brought up the issue during both public and private interactions with Trump. He added that it was important to convey that sailors working on commercial vessels should not become targets during wartime.
Tharoor also noted that Indian sailors serve on Indian-flagged as well as other vessels, and argued that even if they were suspected of violating orders, they should be stopped rather than killed. His remarks have reportedly caused irritation within the Congress leadership.
Separately, BJP spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari cited Tharoor’s comments to attack Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, claiming that even Congress leaders were acknowledging Modi’s diplomatic approach.
