'JD Vance understood': Shashi Tharoor in US on Operation Sindoor; says 'India won the narrative'

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Thursday said that US vice president JD Vance understood there could be no mediation between India and Pakistan, as it would imply an equivalence between the two countries. Speaking in Washington, Tharoor, who leads Group 5 of the all-party delegation tasked with conveying India's message against terrorism abroad, said they made India’s position “very clear” to the US vice president. Tharoor said, “The meeting with VP Vance was very clear. Mediation implies an equivalence between two parties, and there can be no equivalence between terrorists and their victims. Vance fully understood our points, and so did other levels of the system.”Commenting on the Pakistani delegation also visiting the United States, Tharoor said the Americans who met the Pakistani delegation had not publicly expressed any support for the country. “We've seen some of them tweeting about their meetings. But we haven’t seen those they met say anything publicly supportive or appreciative of Pakistan,” he said.Speaking about the Pakistani delegation in the United States, Tharoor noted that the people the Pakistani delegation met in the US didn't say anything supportive of Pakistan. "We've seen some of them tweeting about their meetings. We've not seen the people they met saying anything very supportive or appreciative of Pakistan in public."He also underlined the strength of India’s diplomatic outreach, saying the Indian team had more meetings and at a higher level. “Whether it was Senators and Congressmen on the Hill or government officials, our list of appointments was far better,” he said. “We’ve got the better of the argument.”On various statements coming from the Congress, Tharoor stressed that any internal Congress discussions would take place later. “There'll be a time for internal discussions when one gets back. I'm not anticipating anything because I've not been told anything directly. All I see is in the media, some of which is speculative. But on the whole, my view is that we are facing a situation where the country is united. And that unity was very apparent in the delegation." Reflecting on the five-day effort, Tharoor called the visit a success. “We had good conversations, high-level contacts, and clear outcomes. We got our message across about Pahalgam and Operation Sindoor and reaffirmed India’s relations globally.”