Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala) [India], April 28 : Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Monday hit back at his colleague Udit Raj after the latter questioned his political allegiance following his remarks on the Pahalgam terror attack.
Speaking to the media, Tharoor asserted that he is not anyone's spokesperson but only speaks for himself.
"I believe the person who said this is a former BJP MP, so you can ask him, he is better qualified to understand who speaks for the BJP...I think everybody knows that I am not a BJP spokesperson. I am not anyone's spokesperson. I speak for myself," Shashi Tharoor said.
Earlier today, Congress leader Udit Raj asked if Tharoor was aligned with the Congress or the BJP.
"I want to ask Shashi Tharoor, is he in the Congress party or the BJP? Is he trying to become a super-BJP man? Shashi Tharoor should ask the BJP when the government is taking the PoK? Has Shashi Tharoor become the advocate of the BJP?" Udit Raj remarked while speaking to ANI on Sunday.
His reaction came after Tharoor on Sunday said that the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack took place possibly due to intelligence failure and compared it to the October 7 (2023) strike by the terrorist organisation Hamas, which stunned Israel, a country famed for its strong intel.
"Obviously, there was no full proof intelligence. There was some failure... But we have got the example of Israel, the world's best intelligence services according to everybody, which were taken by surprise on October 7, just two years ago. It seems to me, just as Israel is waiting till the end of the war before they demand accountability, similarly, I think we too should see the present crisis through and then demand accountability from the government. No country can ever have a foolproof 100 per cent intelligence,' he said.
Raj also sought clarification on Tharoor's stance, specifically questioning the Congress leader's comments regarding national security and global terrorism. "I want to ask him which terrorist incident took place after 9/11 in America? Has the BJP appointed him as its spokesperson?" Raj added, indicating concerns over Tharoor's position on sensitive issues.