Shashi Tharoor crossed ‘lakshman rekha’ with comments on India-Pakistan conflict, say Congress sources

Say clear message sent during CWC meeting that this is not a time for airing individual views but for amplifying the party’s stand

New Delhi: The Congress Working Committee made it clear on Wednesday that it is not the time to air individual views, but to amplify the party’s official stand, with some leaders later asserting that Shashi Tharoor had crossed the “lakshman rekha” with his repeated comments on the India-Pakistan conflict.

There was no immediate reaction from Tharoor on the issue. The sources made the assertion after a meeting of CWC members and senior leaders, including Tharoor, former Congress president Rahul Gandhi, Congress general secretaries KC Venugopal, Jairam Ramesh, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Sachin Pilot, among others, at its 24, Akbar Road office here.

“We are a democratic party and people keep expressing their opinions, but this time, Tharoor has crossed the lakshman rekha,” a senior party leader said after the meeting.

Party sources said, without naming anyone, a clear message was sent during the meeting that this is not a time for airing individual views but for amplifying the party’s stand.

A leader said during the meeting, Tharoor toed the party line and gave “constructive suggestions”. A senior leader, without naming anyone, raised the issue of some leaders airing different views and urged the leadership to intervene, the sources said.

Asked about Tharoor’s comments in recent interviews being at odds with the party’s stand, Ramesh said at a media briefing, “That is his opinion. When Mr Tharoor speaks, it is his view and it is not the stand of the party.”

Tharoor has been making comments on the India-Pakistan conflict that are at variance with the party’s stand, which has been questioning the government over US President Donald Trump’s claims of mediating a ceasefire between the two countries.