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The divergence is not new for the Congress as similar differences had emerged earlier during Operation Sindoor, when Tharoor had praised the government’s diplomatic posture.
Congress MPs Manish Tewari and Shashi Tharoor | File Image
Differences have resurfaced within the Congress over India’s response to the escalating Iran crisis, with senior leaders Shashi Tharoor and Manish Tewari backing the government’s diplomatic approach even as the party’s top leadership stepped up criticism of New Delhi’s position.
Tharoor on Thursday publicly endorsed the Centre’s handling of the situation in West Asia, describing it as an exercise in “responsible statecraft” rather than a moral failure.
Writing in a newspaper column, the Congress MP argued that while the conflict involving Iran, Israel and the United States raises serious concerns under international law, India’s “restraint reflects strategic prudence and a clear-eyed assessment of national interest.”
Tharoor maintained that silence should not be mistaken for endorsement of military action, stressing that foreign policy requires balancing principles with consequences.
He criticised what he called rhetorical moralism, arguing that calls for outright denunciation ignore the complex realities of the region and India’s stakes in it.
His remarks contrasted sharply with the stand taken by the Congress leadership. Party president Mallikarjun Kharge, along with leaders Rahul Gandhi, Jairam Ramesh and Pawan Khera, have questioned the government’s response to Israeli military actions and reports of targeted killings of Iran’s top leadership, accusing New Delhi of abandoning moral clarity.
Rahul Gandhi has said India must unequivocally oppose unilateral military action, while senior party figures have argued that silence in the face of such developments amounts to a retreat from India’s long-held foreign policy principles.
Backing the government from within the party, Tewari said India has historically been a marginal player in West Asia and should avoid being drawn into conflicts that are not of its making.
He underlined that the region is witnessing multiple overlapping wars and that taking sides would neither serve India’s interests nor alter outcomes on the ground.
Tewari emphasised the significance of what he called “strategic automony”, saying India is doing “the right thing”.
The divergence is not new for the Congress. Similar differences had emerged earlier during Operation Sindoor, when Tharoor, who was part of a multi-party global outreach delegation, had praised the government’s diplomatic posture, drawing criticism from sections within his own party.
March 19, 2026, 1:02 PM IST
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