A public disagreement has emerged within the Congress party after senior leader Dr. Shashi Tharoor appeared to praise Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s diplomatic engagement with US President Donald Trump during the G7 Summit in Evian, France.
The controversy began when Tharoor highlighted Modi’s remarks on maritime security and the safety of global shipping routes, suggesting that the Prime Minister had effectively conveyed India’s concerns before world leaders, including President Trump.
However, Congress media and publicity department chairman Pawan Khera strongly disagreed, questioning Tharoor’s interpretation of the meeting. In a post on social media platform X, Khera argued that the official readout released by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) contained no reference to several issues that Tharoor claimed had been raised during the interaction.
Khera pointed to key concerns, including the deaths of three Indian sailors in the Gulf of Oman, Trump’s repeated claims regarding a ceasefire linked to trade pressure on India, and the reported attack on an Iranian naval vessel that had previously participated in naval exercises with India. According to Khera, these issues were not reflected in the official record of the Modi-Trump meeting.
Responding to the criticism, Tharoor defended his remarks and clarified that he was referring to reports of Prime Minister Modi’s statements during the broader G7 outreach session rather than solely relying on the MEA’s official meeting summary.
Tharoor cited publicly available reports indicating that Modi had raised concerns about maritime security, the Strait of Hormuz, and the safety of Indian seafarers. He maintained that his comments were based on widely reported information and not on assumptions.
The exchange has triggered fresh discussion within political circles, highlighting differing views within the Congress party on how to assess the Prime Minister’s diplomatic engagements on the global stage.
The episode also underscores the growing use of social media platforms as a battleground for political debates, even among leaders belonging to the same party.