Shashi Tharoor's J&K remarks irk Congress, draw rebuke from party

New Delhi: Congress MP Shashi Tharoor's statement about "encouraging progress towards normalcy" in J&K has irked the party leadership, adding to a series of comments from the Thiruvananthapuram Lok Sabha member that it has found unpalatable.

Tharoor made the statement after he met LG Manoj Sinha in Srinagar on an official visit as chairman of the parliamentary standing committee on external affairs. In a post on X on Sunday, Tharoor said, "In Srinagar! Had the honour of an excellent meeting with Lieutenant-Governor Shri Manoj Sinha at Lok Bhavan today. We discussed the situation in the state and the encouraging progress towards normalcy. When I arrived he was chatting to the President of the Kashmiri Writers' Association and the Women's Organisation - a positive outreach that I welcomed. Many challenges remain and much remains to be done, but I left the meeting feeling more positives than I have felt for a while."

Reacting to Tharoor's comments, Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera said on Monday, "You should talk to everyone about the situation of Jammu and Kashmir, starting from youths, businessmen, Kashmiri Pandits and civilians. I fully believe that Dr Shashi Tharoor will meet everyone and then change his opinion as he is an educated person."