You could call it an escalation: after Tharoor made no bones about backing the Prime Minister’s message on sailor safety at the G7, the BJP went on the offensive against the Opposition leader. Tharoor’s comments were at odds with what his own party was saying, and they have put a finer point on the deaths of three seafarers from India.
Tharoor put it this way: the PM had made his concerns known to US President Donald Trump, in public as well as in private, when it came to shielding commercial crews in these troubled times. That is some distance from the Congress claim that Modi said nothing and made no move to get an apology for what happened in the Gulf of Oman.
For Tharoor, there is a principle involved. ‘PM Modi made his point clear both in the public and private meetings with the President. It is important to convey the message that in wartime, civilian sailors on commercial ships should not be targets of combat. They are not soldiers, and that is the message PM Modi conveyed,’ he said.
He was more specific on what has India worried: ‘Beyond the general concern, we have Indian sailors on Indian-flagged vessels and others. If they are violating your blockade, find some other way of stopping them, but do not kill people.’
Political flashpoint and party responses
The BJP was quick to use Tharoor’s endorsement as a club for the Opposition. On X, spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari wrote: ‘Shashi Tharoor has exposed Rahul Gandhi. Congress leaders are openly praising PM @narendramodi ji’s diplomacy! When it comes to protecting India’s national interest PM Modi comes first. When it comes to speaking against India’s national interest Rahul Gandhi leaves everyone behind.’
Only on Wednesday the Congress was putting questions to the Prime Minister over his dealings with Trump, saying he didn’t make enough of an issue of the three dead sailors or try to wring an apology out of Washington. So Tharoor’s position has become something of a sore point in the party, one the BJP is all too happy to rub in.
What happened at the G7 meeting
It was 16 months in the making when Modi and Trump got together in Evian, France, on Wednesday. By all accounts, the PM was insistent on the safety of Indian seamen, not just in the Strait of Hormuz but the whole of the Gulf.
Trump, for his part, called Modi a ‘good-looking guy’ and a ‘tough negotiator.’ And Modi, pointing out that ‘lakhs of Indians are working as seafarers’, made it plain their well-being is a priority given the tensions in the region.
Why the sailors issue has become central
The facts are hard to ignore. A US strike on a merchant in the Gulf of Oman left three Indian seafarers dead, and the outcry has been immediate. What was a tragedy has now made for some heated politics back home.
Tharoor has been unambiguous in his focus on the protection of civilians, in step with the government’s word to Washington. He has been at pains to say that the men on those ships are not combatants and that the PM let Trump know as much.
Key positions distilled
Here is where the different sides stand:
– Tharoor says the PM was firm on safety, in public and in private.
– The Congress says the PM was quiet on the seafarers’ deaths.
– The BJP has it that Tharoor’s words are a put-down for Rahul Gandhi.
– For Modi, it’s about the safety of seafarers in the Gulf and beyond.
Signals from Washington and Delhi
On the subject of Trump’s manner, Tharoor sees ‘friendship and warmth’ being shown to India. He also pointed out that while Americans will tell you their ties with Pakistan don’t define their ties with us, we like to think of it the same way – no hyphenation.
There is no letting up in the political sparring here. The BJP is touting Tharoor as proof of how good Modi’s diplomacy is, while the Congress won’t drop its case for answers on the three lives that were lost. With the stakes so high, it’s safe to say maritime safety is the new talking point in New Delhi-Washington relations.
