Triggered by senior leader Shashi Tharoor’s comments on intelligence failures after the Pahalgam terror attack, fellow party leader Udit Raj launched a blistering attack, accusing him of acting as a "lawyer" for the BJP and handing the ruling party a "clean chit" amid national outrage. On Sunday, Tharoor likened the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22 to Israel’s security lapses during the Hamas assault, saying 'no country has 100-per cent foolproof intelligence'. In a fiery post on X, Raj questioned Tharoor’s loyalty to the party, saying, "According to you Congress should guarantee foolproof intelligence to BJP and nothing should be asked of the BJP." He further slammed the former UN diplomat for going soft on the Modi government, drawing parallels with the political reactions post the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks in 2008. "Shashi Tharoor said no country has 100 per cent foolproof intelligence? At the time of 26/11 Mumbai attack, Modi ji had said after reaching Mumbai from Gujarat that it is the failure of the central government. He also said that the problem is the Centre and not the border. How did the terrorists come when the intelligence, BSF, CRPF are with the Centre. Tharoor ji, ask from Modi ji," Raj said. The Congress leader did not stop there. He recalled Tharoor’s past praise for Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to the United States and questioned his silence on Modi’s post-attack optics. "After 9/11, did any big terrorist attack take place in America and in this way you should give such examples. Modi ji came from abroad and held a meeting at the airport itself. You did not ask about this drama. It would not have taken even 10 minutes to reach the office and he would have held a meeting there," Raj added. Further sharpening his criticism, Raj accused Tharoor of ignoring political priorities, saying, "Tharoor should also ask the prime minister why did he attend an election rally in Bihar, while Congress leader Rahul Gandhi cut short his foreign trip, went to Pahalgam and shared people's grief and pain." Udit Raj, elected to the Lok Sabha on a BJP ticket in 2014, joined the Congress after his term ended in 2019. Shashi Tharoor said no country has 100% foolproof intelligence? At the time of 26/11 Mumbai attack, Modi ji had said after reaching Mumbai from Gujarat that it is the failure of the central government. He also said that the problem is the center and not the border. How did the… — Dr. Udit Raj (@Dr_Uditraj) April 28, 2025 Responding to the onslaught, Tharoor dismissed suggestions of towing any party’s line, asserting, "I speak for myself. 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." Addressing reporters on Sunday, Tharoor admitted there were "security lapses" but stressed the need for a more measured reaction. “Obviously, there was no foolproof intelligence. There was some failure,” he said, comparing the Pahalgam attack to the October 7 Hamas strike against Israel. "It seems to me, just as Israel is waiting till the end of the war before demanding accountability, similarly, we too should see the present crisis through and then hold the government to account." He underlined that no country can claim absolute success in preventing terror. “We will never know about the various terror threats that were successfully thwarted. We only hear about the ones where we failed. This is normal in any nation. There were failures, I agree, but that should not be our main focus right now,” Tharoor said. Facing mounting criticism, the Congress party distanced itself from the controversy, aligning itself with the stance adopted during the recent Congress Working Committee meeting. The party condemned the “security lapse” but reiterated its full support for government actions following what is being described as the deadliest civilian attack since 26/11 Mumbai attacks of 2008.
