'Nothing to add': Shashi Tharoor reiterates remarks on India's stance on the Russia-Ukraine conflict

NEW DELHI: Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Wednesday evaded question over his remarks appreciating Prime Minister Narendra Modi for positing India as a key player in fostering lasting peace between Russia and Ukraine amid ongoing conflict.
Tharoor said that he has "nothing to add" on his remarks after reporters sought a reaction from him outside Parliament complex.

This comes a day after Tharoor said that his initial criticism of India’s stance on the Russia-Ukraine war has left him with "egg on his face."

Speaking at the Raisina Dialogue in Delhi, Tharoor admitted that India's neutral policy has positioned it as a key player in fostering lasting peace and has a Prime Minister "who can hug both the president of Ukraine and the president in Moscow".
"I am still wiping the egg off my face because I was one of the few in Parliament who criticised India’s position in February 2022."
The Congress leader explained that his criticism was based on the violation of the UN Charter and Ukraine’s sovereignty. However, three years later, he now recognises that India’s balanced approach has allowed Prime Minister Narendra Modi to engage with both Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky within weeks of each other.
"All of those principles had been violated by one party and we should have condemned it. Well, three years later it does look like I am the one with the egg on my face because clearly the policy has meant that India has actually a prime minister who can hug both the president of Ukraine (Zelenskyy) and the president in Moscow (Putin) two weeks apart and be accepted in both places," he said
This is not the first time Tharoor had praised the foreign policy Of Pm Modi-led government. Earlier, he had praised PM Modi's visit to US and expressed optimism over India’s diplomatic engagements with President Trump.
He stressed that when someone in the government does the right thing, it should be recognised, irrespective of who's in power.
“For 16 years, I have been in politics. My attitude has been that when somebody in the government, whether it’s our government or some other party’s government, does the right thing or does something well, one should acknowledge and praise it, and when they do something badly, one should criticise it,” Tharoor said.
“If I were to praise all the time, no one would take me seriously. If I were to criticise all the time, no one would take me seriously either… There’s got to be some give and take in democracy,” he added.
Congress leader posted a selfie with Union commerce and industry minister Piyush Goyal and the UK's secretary of state for business and trade Jonathan Reynolds and welcomed the revival of long-stalled India-UK FTA negotiations.
Recently, Tharoor made headlines after a Tharoor was cited saying that he had "other options" if the Congress did not require his services.