Shashi Tharoor questions India’s ‘strategic distance’ after PM Modi skips Gaza peace summit

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Monday (October 13) voiced his concerns regarding India's decision to send Minister of State (MoS) for External Affairs, Kirti Vardhan Singh, in place of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the Gaza Peace Summit in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt. Tharoor questioned whether this move signaled a preference for "strategic restraint," especially given that world leaders, including US President Donald Trump, were present at the summit.

While Tharoor clarified that his comments were not a reflection on the competence of Minister Singh, he noted that India’s representation at a lower level could be perceived as a missed opportunity, particularly in such a significant event. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Tharoor posted that the presence of such high-profile leaders might make India’s voice less influential in the crucial discussions surrounding the future of Gaza and regional stability.

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India’s absence at the summit was particularly puzzling, Tharoor said, as the country could have played a more active role in the ongoing reshaping of the region. With the peace talks poised to focus on reconstruction and long-term peace in Gaza, Tharoor warned that India's position at the event could lack the weight it might have carried if represented by a head of state.

The summit, which is being co-chaired by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Donald Trump, brings together prominent world leaders, including British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, all of whom are expected to discuss the path to a lasting resolution in Gaza and the broader Middle East. Tharoor’s comments come after Hamas released the remaining Israeli hostages on Monday, signaling a possible pause in the violence that has ravaged Gaza for nearly two years since the initial offensive by Israel.