NEW DELHI: The governing party cheering the statement of a prominent opposition figure is not a common sight. Yet, this is what unfolded when Congress MP Shashi Tharoor back-pedalled his criticism of Modi govt’s stand on the Ukraine war and said the fast-unfolding events validated the decision to stay engaged with both Moscow and Kyiv.
Tharoor’s admission came at the Raisina Dialogue where he said the developments had left him with “egg on his face”. He noted that India’s neutral stance; read refusal to cave in to pressure to join the chorus of Russia’s condemnation, had positioned it as a key player in fostering lasting peace. He also said India had a PM “who can hug both the president of Ukraine and the president in Moscow”.
BJP was quick to seize upon the reversal. “Shashi Tharoor thinks the statements he made regarding the Russia-Ukraine war in the past were not right. The policies of the Indian govt were right. Better late than never…. The way Shashi Tharoor has admitted, other leaders of Congress should do the same,” BJP’s Ravi Shankar Prasad said.
Congress leadership, it is learnt, expressed displeasure. Sources said a senior AICC office-bearer spoke to Tharoor and conveyed that the statement was unnecessary.