Congress bristles as Tharoor hails ‘encouraging progress’ in Jammu and Kashmir

Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor's remarks about "encouraging progress towards normalcy" in Jammu and Kashmir, made after a meeting with LG Manoj Sinha, have not gone down well with his party here. Tharoor is the Chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs which is visiting Jammu and Kashmir. "We discussed the situation in the state and the encouraging progress towards normalcy. When I arrived, he was chatting with the President of the Kashmiri Writers' Association and the Women's Organisation — a positive outreach that I welcomed. Many challenges remain and much remains to be done, but I left the meeting feeling more positive than I have felt for a while," Tharoor posted on Sunday while sharing a photograph with the Lieutenant Governor in Srinagar.

Chief spokesperson of the J-K Pradesh Congress Committee Ravinder Sharma took exception to the post by Tharoor, suggesting he should have met the people of Kashmir. "People of Kashmir too were expecting you to meet them to gain a better understanding of the ground realities. "At least you could have spared some time to meet your own party workers who have been fighting for the restoration of statehood, which was taken away seven years ago," Sharma posted on X.

Amid the controversy, Tharoor on Monday said the panel is in Jammu and Kashmir not to evaluate conditions in the Valley and its focus is limited to matters related to foreign affairs, including India-Pakistan and Sino-Indian relations, and passport services. Heading a 10-member Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs, Tharoor arrived in Jammu on Sunday evening. The panel met senior police officials on Monday morning before reviewing the functioning of passport offices and Passport Seva Kendras in the region.

Defending his statement, Tharoor said he had so far only met the Lieutenant Governor and had not interacted with a wider cross-section of people in the Valley. “I have not had a chance to see other things and listen to other people's voices. So I just want to make it very clear, this is not a visit about checking the conditions in Kashmir Valley,” Tharoor told reporters on the sidelines of the panel’s visit to the passport office here.

The Congress leader said the committee is in the Union Territory to study three specific issues --India-Pakistan relations, Sino-Indian relations, and the functioning of passport offices and Passport Seva Kendras. “We're not here to look at domestic matters; it's not our business. We are the External Affairs Committee. That's it all. That's what I have to say,” he said. The parliamentary committee, which also includes MPs Asaduddin Owaisi, Arun Govil, Arvind Ganpat Sawant, Vijay Baghel, K Laxman, B S Mubarak, Vikas Kumar and B S Rawat, is scheduled to visit army headquarters for a briefing and the Jammu border before leaving for Kashmir on Tuesday. They are also scheduled to visit Ladakh as part of the study tour.

Tharoor said the panel held detailed discussions with officials of the Regional Passport Office, the Ministry of External Affairs, the police and the postal department, with particular focus on delays in passport issuance in Jammu and Kashmir. The members emphasised the need to expedite passport processing and delivery, he said, describing the visit as meaningful. He said the panel would continue its assessment over the next four days before finalising its recommendations, adding that certain improvements in the existing system were required and would be reflected in its report.

Earlier, the BJP MP Govil said Jammu and Kashmir has witnessed significant improvements and development over the years. “It (situation) feels very good now. Everything is going well. A tremendous amount of work is being carried out here every day,” he said. Recalling his earlier visits to the region, the actor-turned-politician said “We have come here before, including at times when shootings used to take place. The situation has changed considerably, and now everything is good.” The parliamentarian also took a swipe at the Congress party over its criticism of Tharoor, alleging that it habitually opposes positive developments. “Congress tends to criticise every good thing. It has become its habit,” he remarked. BJP leader Shahnawaz Hussain said the Congress is critical of Tharoor whenever he "speaks the truth as an MP". "They don't want any MP to have any personal opinion. The Congress wants its MPs to parrot Rahul Gandhi's views," he said.