‘I stand my ground… nation comes first’: Shashi Tharoor amid differences with Congress

At the Kochi event on Saturday, Tharoor said, “We respect our parties, and certain values and convictions keep us in our parties. But we need to cooperate with other parties in the interest of national security… Which is your first loyalty? To my mind, the nation comes first. Parties are a means of making the nation better. To my mind, to whichever party you belong to, the objective of that party is to create a better India, in its own way. Parties have every right to disagree with the best way of doing that.”

He said a lot of people have been critical of him because of the stand he took in supporting the armed forces and the government regarding “what happened in the country and on our borders”.

“But I will stand my ground because I believe this is the right thing for the country. When I speak of India, I speak for all Indians, not just those who may like my party. I believe that is something that should apply to other parties, too. I am not only saying this to my party. I am saying it to all parties. Put differences aside when the nation is imperilled,” he said.