India never asked anyone: Shashi Tharoor reacts to Rahul Gandhi’s ‘surrender’ jibe

NEW DELHI: Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, who is leading an all-party Operation Sindoor delegation to the US, countered Rahul Gandhi’s “Narender surrender” jibe at PM Modi and clarified that there was no third-party intervention in India-Pakistan conflict at any point.

His remark came when asked about Gandhi’s remark that PM Modi surrendered following a call from Donald Trump.

Shedding light on President Donald Trump’s repeated claims of the US brokering peace between the two nations, Tharoor said, “India didn’t need persuading to stop. No one needed to tell us to stop because we were telling them the moment Pakistan stops, we are prepared to stop. So if they, in turn, told the Pakistani, You better stop because the Indians are willing to stop and that was what they did. And that’s a wonderful gesture on their part.”

Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi stirred a political storm on Tuesday, claiming that Prime Minister Narendra Modi surrendered following a call from Donald Trump. He went on to draw comparisons with former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, citing that she never backed down in 1971 despite pressure from the US.

Responding to a question about Rahul Gandhi referring to Trump’s claims, Tharoor said that India is prepared to use force in the future as well, in the event of any terrorist attacks emanating from Pakistan.

“We have no real difficulty speaking the same language as the Pakistanis, as long as they use the language of terrorism. We will use the language of force, and that doesn’t require a third party,” he said.

Tharoor further said that he was not interested in dwelling into details, as he said India shares a “much more important strategic partnership” with the US. “We have enormous respect for the US,” he added.

Following Tharoor’s remarks, another member of the delegation, Milind Deora, chimed in, saying, “He always puts country before party.”(Agencies)