Tharoor crossed 'lakshman rekha' with comments on India-Pak conflict: Cong sources

New Delhi | The Congress is a democratic party in which leaders express their views freely, but Shashi Tharoor has crossed the 'lakshman rekha' with his repeated comments on the India-Pakistan conflict, party sources said on Wednesday.

The sources made the assertion after a meeting of senior leaders, including Tharoor, former Congress president Rahul Gandhi, Congress general secretaries K C Venugopal, Jairam Ramesh, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Sachin Pilot, among others, at its 24, Akbar Road office here.

"We are a democratic party and people keep expressing their opinion, but this time, Tharoor has crossed the lakshman rekha," a party source said.

The sources said, without naming anyone, the party leadership sent a "clear message" during the meeting that this is not a time of airing individual views but for amplifying the party's stand.

Asked about Tharoor's comments being at odds with the party's stand, Ramesh said at a media briefing, "That is his opinion. When Mr. Tharoor speaks, it does not reflect the views of the party."

Tharoor has been making comments on the India-Pakistan conflict that are at variance with the party's stand, which has been questioning the government over US President Donald Trump's claims of mediating a ceasefire between the two countries.