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Khera pointed out a stark disconnect between Tharoor’s characterisation of the bilateral exchange and the official records released by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA)
Taking to social media platform X, Khera targeted Tharoor’s public commentary, asserting that his colleague’s admiration for the Prime Minister appeared to have transcended physical realities. File image/PTI
A sharp public disagreement has erupted within the Indian National Congress regarding Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent bilateral meeting with US President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in Evian, France. The friction intensified after Congress MP and Chairperson of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs, Dr Shashi Tharoor, seemed to publicly back the Prime Minister’s diplomatic outreach, praising him for firmly conveying India’s concerns regarding maritime security. The endorsement quickly drew a scathing response from fellow Congress leader and head of the media department, Pawan Khera, who accused Tharoor of imagining diplomatic breakthroughs that never occurred.
Taking to social media platform X, Khera targeted Tharoor’s public commentaryasserting that his colleague’s admiration for the Prime Minister appeared to have transcended physical realities. Khera pointed out a stark disconnect between Tharoor’s characterisation of the bilateral exchange and the official records released by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). He argued that the official readouts contained no evidence of the forceful assertions or robust pushback that Tharoor claimed to have detected, mockingly adding that “devotees of the Prime Minister” seem capable of hearing messages even when nothing is spoken.
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.According to the official MEA readout of the Modi–Trump meeting on the sidelines of the… pic.twitter.com/6U7BFRxAgZ
— Pawan Khera 🇮🇳 Pawan Khera (@Pawankhera) June 20, 2026
Opposition Cites Unaddressed Security Grievances
To support his critique of the bilateral talks, Khera highlighted three critical security and strategic issues that he claims the Prime Minister failed to effectively challenge during his meeting with the US President. Chief among these was the lack of official mention regarding the cold-blooded killing of three Indian civilian sailors by the United States military in the Gulf of Oman, an incident that had previously triggered formal diplomatic protests from New Delhi. Khera also observed that despite this being the first Modi–Trump meeting since the anniversary of Operation Sindoor, the official readout offered no indication that India countered Trump’s repeated public claim—made over 120 times—that he forced a ceasefire by threatening India with retaliatory trade consequences.
Furthermore, the Congress media chief expressed serious concern over the absence of any documented discussion regarding the recent attack on the Iranian frigate IRIS Dena. The vessel had been an official guest of the Indian Navy during the MILAN-2026 maritime exercises, and Khera argued that an assault on such a ship within India’s strategic backyard required uncompromised, direct diplomacy that the MEA records indicate did not take place.
Tharoor Fires Back
Dr Shashi Tharoor quickly hit back at Khera’s critique, launching a robust defence of his commentary by citing widely available public print media and AI summaries from the G7 outreach session in Evian. Responding directly on X, the Congress leader dismissed allegations that he was inventing facts, explaining that his observations were rooted in heavily publicised reports detailing the Prime Minister’s public addresses rather than being restricted to the narrow confines of the confidential MEA text.
For those who believe I “heard” words that @narendramodi never said at the G-7, I was merely alluding to widely published reports about his remarks. If you want to hear a report, here’s one:https://t.co/dWkVwhWY0NOtherwise this was Google Gemini’s summary:
“At the G7…
— Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) June 20, 2026
To validate his stance, Tharoor shared a detailed summary illustrating that during the high-level G7 outreach session, Prime Minister Modi had indeed directly confronted global leaders, including President Trump, regarding the sanctity of global shipping lanes. Tharoor emphasised that the Prime Minister explicitly raised the human-security crisis in the Strait of Hormuz, directly linking it to the recent tragic deaths of Indian seafarers killed aboard the merchant vessel Settebello. Asserting his long-standing reputation for factual accuracy, Tharoor stated that he reads widely and retains what he reads, standing firmly by his summary of the print media reports, which noted these remarks were delivered while the Prime Minister was seated next to Trump.
About the Author
Pathikrit Sen Gupta is a Senior Associate Editor with News18.com and likes to cut a long story short. He writes sporadically on Politics, Sports, Global Affairs, Space, Entertainment, And Food. He tra…Read More
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