Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Thursday dismissed the media reports regarding the party leadership giving him a "clear message" that he crossed the 'lakshman rekha' through his remarks on the India-Pakistan conflict.
Tharoor said that he came to know about this only through the media and he expressed 'personal views as an Indian, as a proud citizen'.
What Did Shashi Tharoor Say?
Addressing reporters here, the Congress MP from Thiruvananthapuram said the news was just a media creation without any evidence.
"I don't know where this comes from. I was in a meeting, a closed door meeting of the Congress Working Committee leaders yesterday. I was there till 6.35 pm for a meeting that began at 4.30 pm and I must say that at that time, there was certainly no reference to any of this and no reference to me.
"Now, if something happened thereafter, I am yet to be informed of it," Tharoor said, dismissing the reports about the warning the party has given him.
Backing what the senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said, Tharoor said whatever he had said on the issue was in his personal capacity as he was not the official spokesperson of the party.
"He's absolutely correct. I've been very clear that I am not a spokesman of the party. I'm not a spokesman of the government either," Tharoor said.
He said people approached him for his views on the subject as they thought he had some knowledge about some of these subjects, referring to the conflict between India and Pakistan.
"People seem to think I have some knowledge about some of these subjects, and so they come and ask me my views. And I make it very clear, sometimes explicitly, sometimes implicitly, that I'm expressing my personal views as an Indian, as a proud citizen," Tharoor added.
He reminded everyone that the Congress party had declared complete solidarity with the government and the armed forces at the beginning of this conflict.
"And in that spirit, I also expressed that support from my mind, it was merely a contribution to a very important national discourse at a time when, frankly, it was important for us to rally around the flag," Tharoor added.
He also said at that time, internationally, there was a relative lack of India's point of view being heard, particularly in Europe, in the Middle East, in the US and so on.
"When stations from those countries approached me, I felt it was almost my duty to try and give a point of view, that I believe accurately reflects my understanding anyway, of what India believes, stands for and would have done," Tharoor clarified, justifying the expression of his view points to foreign media and that it was nothing official.
He said though he is the chairman of a parliamentary standing committee on external affairs, his party has not yet briefed them on what stand each should take on this issue.
He said the party's briefing is scheduled for Monday.
"I am giving my personal opinion as somebody who has been witnessing and watching world affairs from close quarters for a very long time. That's about it. And frankly, people are entirely free and welcome to reject my point of view," Tharoor added.
PTI Cited Congress Party Sources Claiming Rift Between Tharoor And Others
According to party sources, after a meeting of the Congress Working Committee (CWC) and senior leaders, including Tharoor, some of them asserted that the Congress MP from Thiruvananthapuram had crossed the "lakshman rekha" with his repeated comments on the India-Pakistan conflict.
"We are a democratic party and people keep expressing their opinions, but this time, Tharoor has crossed the lakshman rekha," a senior party leader had said after the meeting, according to sources.
Party sources had also said, without naming anyone, that a clear message was sent during the meeting that this was not a time for airing individual views but for amplifying the party's stand.
