'Shashi Tharoor is destroying the history of India.'
'He is distorting facts about the Congress party.'
Congress spokesperson Udit Raj has been vocal against senior party MP Shashi Tharoor over his praise for Prime Minister Narendra Modi abroad.
Dr Tharoor, a four-term Congress MP from Thiruvananthapuram, is on Operation Sindoor outreach, showcasing India's stance against Pakistan's terror activities.
Udit Raj, a former Bharatiya Janata Party MP and now a Congress spokesperson, tells Syed Firdaus Ashraf/Rediff why he is criticising Shashi Tharoor.
Why are you criticising Shashi Tharoor's speech defending Operation Sindoor outreach?
Shashi Tharoor is destroying the history of India.
He is distorting facts about the Congress party.
During Congress rule, in 1965, the Indian Army entered many cities of Pakistan like Lahore.
In 1971, again during Congress party rule, Pakistan was broken into two with Bangladesh coming into existence.
During Dr Manmohan Singh's government, the Indian Army did surgical strikes six times.
Now, Shashi Tharoor, a Congress MP, is going to foreign lands and trying to show the party in poor light, which is not right in my opinion.
He is saying that before Modi, the Indian Army never entered Pakistani territory. This is a wrong statement.
Shashi Tharoor is erasing the Congress party's achievements from Indian history. This is my objection.
His mission was to highlight Pakistani terrorist activities against India, but what he is doing is speaking against the Congress party in foreign lands.
But he did not speak against the Congress party. I didn't read or hear any such speech as you claim.
Shashi said, 'Modi ke pehle kuch nahi hua tha (before Modi no action was taken against Pakistan).' If this statement is not against the Congress party, then what statement is against the Congress party? You tell me.
When you say there were six surgical strikes during the Manmohan Singh government, why did we not read about it at that time?
Dr Singh used to run the government and the credit for Indian Army's bravery was never taken by him.
But will you not agree that Shashi Tharoor is speaking in India's favour on his Operation Sindoor outreach programme?
I have no objection to that, but you've got to understand the delegation that went was tod-phod (disjointed delegation).
Shashi Tharoor's name was not given by the Congress party; his name was picked directly by Modi.
Shashi was to go and speak against Pakistan, but what he is doing is saying that the Congress party did nothing (against Pakistan).
But Shashi Tharoor will have to speak in the Government of India's voice on this outreach!
We did not send Shashi Tharoor to say that before Modi, the Indian Army never entered Pakistan territory.
Shashi Tharoor Congress ki aalochana kar rahey hain aur Modi ki gun gaan kar rahey hain (he is criticising the Congress and praising Modi). He should have gone and exposed Pakistan.
What should he have done? And what would you have done in his place?
He should have spoken against Pakistan rather than praise Modi. I would have never done that.
The Congress itself never told the nation that India conducted surgical strikes against Pakistan during its tenures in government.
That is the reason India as a country functioned well in his (Dr Manmohan Singh's) time. And see the condition under Modi's rule; no country is supporting India globally against Pakistan.
At the end of the day Operation Sindoor was successful and that is what matters, isn't it?
Who told you Operation Sindoor was successful?
Were we able to catch those terrorists who killed innocent tourists in Pahalgam on April 22?
Where did they disappear?
Even in Poonch, 16 Indians died in Pakistani shelling.
Don't you feel it will backfire on the Congress if you speak against Shashi Tharoor at this juncture?
If the Congress does not speak against Shashi Tharoor then it will backfire on the Congress party.
We've got to speak about the Congress party's achievements in history and expose the BJP.
If we keep quiet then the countrymen will feel we were nakaras (useless people).
What action will the Congress take against Shashi Tharoor once he comes back?
It is up to the party to decide what action they want to take against him.
The Congress must expose Shashi Tharoor's lies.
Shashi Tharoor's credibility is very high among the Indian public.
Shashi Tharoor has only English-speaking credibility.
He speaks English in a good accent and that is the only credibility he carries.
Nothing else.
He worked at the United Nations.
I am more qualified than him. I was an Indian Revenue Service officer.
Shashi only speaks in American accented English, which makes people feel good.
It is only these people who like his accent because they have a slave mentality towards America.
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