Congress vs Congress Over Tharoor's 'Normalcy In J&K' Remark: 'Meet People To Know Ground Realities'

Published 22 June 2026 · india

Congress vs Congress Over Tharoor's 'Normalcy In J&K' Remark: 'Meet People To Know Ground Realities' Published By, Last Updated: June 22, 2026, 11:24 IST Congress

Congress vs Congress Over Tharoor's 'Normalcy In J&K' Remark: 'Meet People To Know Ground Realities' Published By, Last Updated: June 22, 2026, 11:24 IST Congress leaders in Jammu and Kashmir questioned Shashi Tharoor’s optimism on Kashmir, saying he should have met locals and party workers to understand ground realities. File photo of Congress MP Shashi Tharoor (PTI photo) A fresh row has erupted within the Congress after senior party leader and Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor spoke of “encouraging progress towards normalcy" in Jammu and Kashmir following a meeting with Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha in Srinagar, drawing sharp criticism from leaders of the party’s Jammu and Kashmir unit. Tharoor was in Srinagar for the Nalanda Dialogues and met Sinha at Lok Bhavan during his visit. Sharing details of the meeting on X, the Congress MP wrote that he had an “excellent meeting" with the Lieutenant Governor and discussed the situation in the Union Territory. He said there was “encouraging progress towards normalcy" and added that he witnessed what he described as a “positive outreach" by the administration when he saw Sinha interacting with representatives of the Kashmiri Writers’ Association and a women’s organisation. “In Srinagar! Had the honour of an excellent meeting with Lieutenant-Governor Shri Manoj Sinha at Lok Bhavan today.

We discussed the situation in the state and the encouraging progress towards normalcy," Tharoor wrote. He further said, “Many challenges remain and much remains to be done, but I left the meeting feeling more positives than I have felt for a while." In Srinagar! Had the honour of an excellent meeting with Lieutenant-Governor Shri @manojsinha_ at Lok Bhavan today. We discussed the situation in the state and the encouraging progress towards normalcy. When I arrived he was chatting to the President of the Kashmiri Writers’… pic.twitter.com/hm1lz3qDGF— Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) June 21, 2026 The remarks did not go down well with leaders of the Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC), who questioned why Tharoor had not interacted with residents or party workers during his visit. Responding publicly to Tharoor’s post, JKPCC spokesperson Ravinder Sharma mentioned in an X post, “People of Kashmir too were expecting you to meet them to have a better understanding of the ground realities." “Atleast could’ve spared sometime to meet own partymen fighting for statehood snatched from us 7 years ago," (sic), he added. The criticism highlighted a disconnect between Tharoor’s assessment of the situation and the concerns being raised by Congress leaders in the region, particularly on the issue of restoration of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir.