Those who think working in national interest is anti-party activity need to question themselves: Shashi Tharoor

Congress leader Shashi Tharoor leads all-party delegation to U.S., emphasizes national interest over party politics.

Congress leader Shashi Tharoor said, “Anybody who considers that working in the national interest is a sort of anti-party activity needs to question themselves rather than us.”

Mr. Tharoor is leading an all-party parliamentary delegation to the U.S. to convey India's stance against terrorism following the Pahalgam terror attack and Operation Sindoor.

“Frankly, when one is doing the nation's service, I don't think one needs to worry too much about these things,” Mr. Tharoor said in an interview with PTI Videos on Wednesday (June 4, 2025).

Mr. Tharoor was responding to a question that he was at the centre of the attention on the trip while leading the all-party delegation because some of his party members criticised his statements.

On what his message would be to those party leaders upon returning to India, Mr. Tharoor said, “I think anybody who sort of considers that working in the national interest is some sort of anti-party activity really needs to question themselves rather than us.”

“I honestly feel at this point we are focused on a mission here, and we don't need to spend too much time worrying about what is said or not said in the heat of the moment by various individuals, because for us the focus is on this much larger and more important message. When the time comes, we'll deal [with it],” Mr. Tharoor said.

The senior Congress leader said he noticed his friend Salman Khurshid asked if it was so difficult to be a patriot in India these days.