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Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Baijayant Jay Panda on Monday took a swipe at the Congress party during a special discussion in Parliament on ‘India’s strong, successful and decisive Operation Sindoor’, a military strike in response to the recent terror attack in Pahalgam.

Panda alleged that the Congress leadership often restricts its articulate members from participating in crucial debates. Referring to senior Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, Panda remarked, “There are several leaders in your (Congress) party who can speak well… My friend Shashi Tharoor Ji, who is a good speaker, is not allowed to speak by his party.”

“But, it feels good that no one could stop him from speaking for the country,” he added.

VIDEO | "My friend Shashi Tharoor, who is a good speaker, is not allowed to speak by his party. But, it feels good that no one could stop him from speaking for the country," said BJP MP Baijayant Jay Panda (@PandaJay) in Lok Sabha.

(Source - Third party) pic.twitter.com/EvPLxV724v

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) July 28, 2025

The BJP leader’s comment came just hours after Tharoor responded to a media query about his participation in the debate by saying he was observing a “maun vrat” (vow of silence).

Rift in Congress Over Operation Sindoor Debate?

According to PTI, sources revealed that the Congress party had offered Tharoor an opportunity to speak during the discussion, but he declined.

According to NDTV, sources said Shashi Tharoor refused to toe the party line during the Parliament debate on the Pahalgam terror attack and Operation Sindoor. He reportedly said he would not contradict himself "for the sake of party messaging". This happened when he was approached by Rahul Gandhi's office, as per NDTV spources.

This development has fuelled further speculation about possible internal rifts within the Congress, especially following Tharoor’s participation in the Operation Sindoor delegation. Some of his remarks during the visit reportedly drew criticism from certain sections of the party.

During his address, Panda also contrasted the current government’s approach with that of previous Congress-led administrations. He criticised past governments for prioritising increased cooperation with Pakistan instead of adopting a firm retaliatory posture.

He reiterated that Operation Sindoor targeted terrorists based in Pakistan, not civilians, and added, “This is not a reaction, this is Modi’s doctrine, which Pakistan has understood… This is a new normal.”

Taking a further dig at the opposition, Panda said it was unfortunate that instead of questioning Pakistan, opposition parties consistently target India’s armed forces. He said, “It is shameful that the opposition only questions the Indian armed forces and not Pakistan.”

He concluded by accusing earlier Congress governments of appeasement rather than taking necessary counter-measures against terrorism.