"We were a little disappointed in the reaction of the Colombian government... We will say to our friends in Columbia there can be no equivalence between those who dispatch terrorists and those who resist them," Congress MP from Kerala Shashi Tharoor said.
"There can be no equivalence between those who attack and those who defend," he insisted.
Colombia has expressed condolences over the loss of lives (read terrorists) in Pakistan due to India's Operation Sindoor.
It left Shashi Tharoor dismayed.
Observers suspect 'China link' to Colombia's pro-Pakistan stance?
As Shashi Tharoor, as leader of the delegation, was defending India in Colombia, his own party back home used the issue to attack the government and also took a dig at Tharoor.
"What is happening in foreign policy? A country like Colombia is standing with Pakistan. We will not ask which country stood with India?" Congress spokesperson Asma Tasleem tweeted.
Tharoor also stated:
"Just as Colombia has endured many terror attacks, so have we in India. We are only exercising our right of self-defence. We are here to dispel any such misunderstanding".
Tharoor made it clear that India could not have allowed the Pahalgam terror attack to go unanswered and underscored that under Operation Sindoor, only terror camps were targeted.
Of course India and Colombia have a long history of diplomatic relations, with cooperation in trade and renewable energy, there seems to be a China link to the South American nation's pro-Pakistan remarks.
A few weeks ago, Colombia actually inked a joint cooperation plan under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), the ambitious connectivity project of China.
Pakistan and China are often dubbed as "all-weather friends".
Colombia has started leaning towards China on trade amid strained ties with the US under Donald Trump.
Over the last few weeks ever since Tharoor was selected by the government to lead Indian all-party parliamentary delegation to the US and countries such as Colombia and Guyana among others; the Congress leaders have been attacking Tharoor.
Jairam Ramesh - now considered a key adviser in the Rahul Gandhi team - mocked the other say and said - "Terrorists are roaming and our MPs are also roaming".
Udit Raj said Tharoor has turned "super spokesman for the BJP". During his interactions with diplomats, senior officials and members of various communities including at Panama. Tharoor had echoed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s statement, stressing that Operation Sindoor was essential after the killing of 26 people in Pahalgam.
“Our Prime Minister has made it very clear Operation Sindoor was necessary because these terrorists came and wiped the sindoor off the foreheads of 26 women by depriving them of their husbands and fathers, their married lives,” he said.
In fact, Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju joined the issue and said:
"...There’s limit to political desperation!"
"What does the Congress party want & How much they really care for the country? Should the Indian MPs go to foreign nation and speak against India and its Prime Minister?"
Analysts feel a displeased Congress leadership may summon and grill Shashi Tharoor for his remarks in favour of the Prime Minister.
There are chances that he would be served with a show cause notice too. So far Tharoor has remained unfazed and he also tweeted saying-
"...as usual, critics and trolls are welcome to distort my views and words as they see fit. I genuinely have better things to do."
ends
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