‘Nation needs my services, I am available’: Tharoor on key role in Op Sindoor outreach, downplays Congress snub

His remarks gained attention as the Congress did not include him in its list of nominees for the government’s delegations under Operation Sindoor.

The grand old party instead named four MPs—Gaurav Gogoi, Anand Sharma, Syed Naseer Hussain, and Amrinder Singh Raja Warring.

Tharoor, a former diplomat, has been vocal in his support of the Narendra Modi government’s stance in recent times and had also lauded Operation Sindoor, which was launched in response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack.

Dismissing the controversy surrounding his omission from the Congress’s list, Tharoor said the issue was unrelated to internal politics and pointed to the larger objective of national solidarity.

"Certainly, when the nation needs my services, I am available and I'm available for my country. To my mind, this has nothing to do with party politics. It's all to do with what our country has been through in recent times and the need for us to present a united front. It is a good reflection of national unity at a time when unity is important," the Thiruvananthapuram MP told reporters, reported India Today.

Tharoor is one of the seven MPs appointed by the Centre to lead multi-party delegations to key nations in a bid to expose Pakistan-sponsored terrorism and explain India’s position on Operation Sindoor.

Soon after the government announced the names, Congress communications head Jairam Ramesh stated that Tharoor was not among those recommended by the party.

Speaking about his inclusion, Tharoor remarked, "My party leadership is entitled to its opinion of my abilities or lack thereof, and I think that is really for them to explain. I have absolutely no comment to make on that. I am honoured to have been entrusted with the responsibility, and I will fulfil that responsibility just as I have fulfilled every responsibility entrusted to me in my rather long working life, whether at the UN or in the Congress."

He added, "We have a Parliamentary Standing Committee meeting on Monday and Tuesday on various issues, including this particular issue. Certainly, I informed them (the party) of the first call I got, which was two days ago.

"I also mentioned to the Parliamentary Affairs Minister that I assumed that he would be talking to the party leaderships of opposition parties, and he assured me that he would be. I found it entirely appropriate, as I said, that the country should rally together on this particularly important issue."

India Today quoted Congress party sources as saying that Tharoor’s remarks during a recent closed-door meeting — in which he described the airstrikes in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) as “calibrated” and “very, very calculated” — did not go down well with some sections of the Congress leadership.

A senior party leader, speaking anonymously, told India Today TV that Tharoor had "crossed the Lakshman Rekha".

The leader added, “We are a democratic party and people keep expressing their opinions, but this time, Tharoor has crossed the Lakshman Rekha.”

Responding to the internal criticism over his praise of Operation Sindoor, Tharoor clarified on Wednesday that his remarks reflected his personal views and that others were entirely free to disagree.

He also said he did not speak on behalf of either the Congress party or the central government.

The Congress, meanwhile, has maintained a guarded position on military action, choosing instead to centre its criticism on the Modi government’s handling of US President Donald Trump’s reported claim of mediating a ceasefire between India and Pakistan.