Shashi Tharoor has again landed in political heat,and this time it is over his comment that there has been "encouraging progress towards normalcy" in Jammu and Kashmir . And honestly,this kind of statement was obviously going to create noise,especially coming from Senior Congress leader and Chairman of Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs.
Tharoor made these remarks after meeting Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha,calling it positive engagement . But his own party members in Jammu did not seem happy at all with this tone .
And main criticism came from Ravinder Sharma,the Chief spokesperson of the J-K Pradesh Congress Committee . He questioned how Tharoor could speak about normalcy without meeting local residents and understanding what people are actually facing on ground.
Tharoor’s visit began on June 21,and he tried to clarify that committee is not there to judge local conditions . According to him,agenda is linked to foreign affairs,including India-Pakistan relations and functioning of passport services,not direct review of local situation.
He even said his interactions so far have been limited to officials,and added,"This is not a visit about checking conditions in Kashmir Valley." That line basically became center of whole argument only.
Few points from committee’s visit are clear:
- Focus on foreign affairs — The committee's primary agenda includes India-Pakistan and Sino-Indian relations .
- Passport services review — panel is assessing the efficiency of passport offices in the region.
- Scheduled visits — committee plans to visit army headquarters and border areas as part of their tour.
But problem is,Kashmir is not some normal file discussion ah . Even if visit is about external matters,any comment about normalcy there will automatically become political,emotional and controversial.
Tharoor defended his position by saying he wants to gather insights from broader range of voices in Valley . He also repeated that committee discussions are centered on external matters and they are not equipped to address domestic issues . Other members like Asaduddin Owaisi and Arvind Ganpat Sawant are also expected to take part in ongoing assessment .
And then BJP MP Arun Govil also entered debate,remarking on positive developments in Jammu and Kashmir and saying region has seen improvements over years . He hit out at Congress too,saying,"Congress tends to criticize every good thing. It has become its habit."
So now,this has become more than one comment by Shashi Tharoor . It is about who gets to define normalcy in Jammu and Kashmir,officials sitting in meetings or people living there daily…
