Dr. Shashi Tharoor on Modi, Trump, and Indian Sailors' Deaths
Dr. Shashi Tharoor spoke on Friday about Prime Minister Modi raising the issue of Indian sailors’ deaths during his bilateral meeting with President Trump in Evian, France. He mentioned it happened both at the G7 level and in that private setting too.
The BJP seized on that interview almost instantly. They argued Tharoor had essentially "busted" a narrative Rahul Gandhi had been pushing regarding this same topic. It immediately became political noise.
Tharoor, who chairs the Standing Committee on External Affairs in Parliament, told CNN-News18 something specific. He felt Modi’s public statement at the G7 about protecting seafarers, which he said was reiterated privately with Trump, "was well taken." A measured assessment, maybe.
He added that the Congress party still had room to argue things more forcefully. But there was no real disaGreement on the core principle. Civilian sailors caught up in a war zone shouldn't become casualties of combat. That was something everyone aGreed on, he insisted. No one disputes that point.
The backlash from the BJP was sharp after the interview aired. A spokesperson jumped in immediately. They claimed Tharoor had busted Gandhi’s "fake narrative." The claim was that Modi’s government had essentially surrendered during the meeting with Trump.
They brought up Operation Sindhu as a parallel. Tharoor supposedly rejected Gandhi's framing then too. One spokesperson even took aim directly at Gandhi, suggesting he needed to take things with humility when his own MPs expose him on his birthday. A pointed remark, definitely.
Looking at the broader tone of the Modi-Trump bilateral, Tharoor observed something deeper. He said he read Trump’s body language and words as a deliberate signal. Washington viewed the India-US link and the Pakistan-US connection as completely separate things. American contacts were telling Indian officials that they weren't trying to downplay the relationship with India at all. That recent warmth, Tharoor suggested, was just an attempt to fix a perception built up over months.
Things like the 50 percent tariffs or symbolic shifts, such as moving the Indo-Pacific Command back to the Pacific Command these were all signals that kept Indian policymakers understandably worried. It’s complex stuff happening behind the scenes.
On the Quad, Tharoor felt India was waiting for the United States to move. India had been holding out to host a Quad summit since November 2025, when the chairmanship shifted from America to India. But Trump hadn't committed to any date yet. It’s stalled.
Tharoor pushed hard for some kind of visit from Trump to India. Whether it was tied to the Quad, a separate bilateral trip, or maybe even Republic Day in 2026. He insisted that language mattered especially with a president who talks a lot. Actions held real value for them. They needed to stop focusing on words and start doing things now.
When Trump said he would defend India if attacked "as long as Narendra Modi is the prime minister," Tharoor was measured. He pointed out there are only two and a half years left in Trump’s term. Pledges tied to individual leaders, he thought, don't have much staying power. Relations were between countries, not just personal feelings. Bonhomie between leaders wasn't enough for serious national policy engagement.
That whole meeting happened on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Evian, France. A backdrop full of signals and unspoken tensions.
Written by Gree News Team — Senior Editorial Board
Gree News Team covers international news and global affairs at Gree News. Our collective of senior editors is dedicated to providing independent, accurate, and responsible journalism for a global audience.
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