Congress MP and senior leader Shashi Tharoor has come under criticism after he described the situation in the union Territory as showing “encouraging progress towards normalcy” following a meeting with Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha in Srinagar.
In a post on X after meeting Sinha on Sunday at Lok Bhavan, Tharoor said they discussed the situation in Jammu and Kashmir and the “encouraging progress towards normalcy.”
“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’ 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 positives than I have felt for a while,” Tharoor posted on X .
The remarks, however, drew sharp criticism from several political figures including his own party who accused him of relying on official briefings while failing to engage with a wider cross-section of society.
Jammu and Kashmir Congress chief spokesperson Ravinder Sharma said people in Kashmir had expected Tharoor to interact with ordinary citizens and party workers to gain a better understanding of the ground situation.
“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,” Sharma said.
J&K Congress has been campaigning for the restoration of statehood since its revocation in 2019.
Student leader Nasir Khuehami who is the national convenor of J&K Students Association also questioned the nature of Tharoor’s visit, arguing that Kashmir required meaningful engagement rather than “symbolic visits and carefully curated interactions.”
“Many Kashmiris genuinely hoped that your visit would provide an opportunity to listen to these concerns firsthand. We expected you to meet students, unemployed youth, civil society representatives, opposition leaders, and other stakeholders who continue to struggle with the realities on the ground. Instead, your interactions appeared selective, avoiding those who could have presented a more nuanced and uncomfortable picture of Kashmir,” Khuehami said on X.
Questioning the notion of “normalcy,” he said democratic institutions remain weakened, political representation constrained and thousands of young people continue to grapple with uncertainty over jobs and public recruitment processes.
“Many of us expected you to return from Kashmir with a deeper understanding of these realities and to raise them fearlessly in Parliament. Instead, your public messaging appeared remarkably similar to the BJP’s narrative. That is precisely why many are left with the uncomfortable impression that, on Kashmir, you sounded less like a Congressman and more like a BJP spokesperson,” the student leader said.
“Kashmir does not need optics or carefully choreographed narratives. It needs empathy, engagement, honest dialogue, constitutional safeguards, democratic restoration, political representation, and sustained efforts towards reconciliation and healing!
Former Police officer and National Conference leader Shafqat Watali said that outreach conducted on a selective basis would not yield the desired results.
“Does the LG know what’s in the hearts and minds of the people of J&K & is he willing to know. Is he and his bosses in a position to give CITIZENS of J&K what they deserve and desire,” Watali said in a post on social media.
