Shashi Tharoor Responds to Pawan Khera's Swipe Over PM Modi Remarks

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Saturday responded sharply to party colleague Pawan Khera's swipe over his remarks on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying he had merely referred to "widely published reports" and had not misrepresented the PM's comments.

The clarification came after Congress leader Pawan Khera mocked Tharoor over his remarks praising PM Modi's handling of concerns over attacks on Indian civilian sailors.

"For those who believe I 'heard' words that @narendramodi never said at the G7, I was merely alluding to widely published reports about his remarks," Tharoor wrote on X, while sharing a YouTube video of the recent meeting between PM Modi and US President Donald Trump.

"I read widely and retain what I read. I have never in my life been accused of misrepresenting or distorting any facts or statements and I stand by my summary of what I read in the print media about these remarks, which were reportedly made when our PM was seated next to @realDonaldTrump," he added.

Shashi Tharoor hit back at party leader Pawan Khera.

Speaking earlier, Tharoor had said Prime Minister Modi had conveyed India's position on the issue during both his public and private interactions with US President Donald Trump.

"PM Modi made his point clear both in the public and private meetings with the President. It is important to convey the message that in wartime, civilian sailors on commercial ships should not be targets of combat. They are not soldiers, and that is the message PM Modi conveyed," Tharoor had said.

Khera, however, questioned the claim, pointing out that the official India-US joint statement and the Ministry of External Affairs' readout of the Modi-Trump meeting made no mention of the issue.

"My senior colleague Dr Shashi Tharoor's admiration for PM Modi appears to have transcended the limitations of the physical world. He now seems capable of hearing what Modi doesn't even say." Referring to the Ministry of External Affairs' readout of the Modi-Trump meeting on the sidelines of the G7 summit, Khera said there was no mention of the "cold-blooded killing" of three Indian sailors by the United States in the Gulf of Oman.

"This was the first Modi-Trump meeting after Operation Sindoor, yet there is no indication that Modi challenged Trump's repeated claim — now made over 120 times — that he secured a ceasefire by threatening India with trade consequences," Khera said.

He also noted that there was no reference to the attack on the Iranian frigate IRIS Dena, which had participated in MILAN-2026.

"And yet, Tharoor ji somehow heard forceful assertions, robust pushback, and uncompromising diplomacy that never made it into the official record. Perhaps the rest of us are constrained by ordinary human senses. For devotees of the 'Maha-Maanav Modi', the less he says, the more they hear," Khera said.

Earlier in the day, Tharoor had expressed surprise that his remarks had triggered a political row.

"Frankly, I find it extraordinary that a statement about protecting Indian civilian sailors is being twisted into a partisan political controversy. Three Indians lost their lives. My remarks were about the safety of our citizens and the principle that civilian seafarers should never be targets of military action," he said.

"Concern for Indian lives should unite us, not divide us," the former Union minister added.

The BJP also seized on the controversy, with spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla alleging that Tharoor's remarks contradicted Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's position and reflected internal differences within the party.

"It is embarrassing. Yesterday was Rahul Gandhi's birthday, but he did not receive any gift. Dr Shashi Tharoor contradicted Rahul Gandhi's stand on the same issue, saying Prime Minister Modi articulated India's position on the sailors' issue very forcefully before President Trump and conveyed the country's stance effectively," Shehzad Poonawalla said in a video statement.

He further claimed, "Not just that, Tharoor has effusively praised Prime Minister Modi's vision, articulation, dynamism and oratory. He has said Modi has left a stamp on the lives of Indians."

Poonawalla also targeted the Congress over its projection of Rahul Gandhi as a future prime ministerial candidate and claimed that some leaders within the party did not share that view.