Congress leader V Hanumantha Rao distanced the party from MP Shashi Tharoor's reported statement that celebrating the Prime Minister's defeat is akin to celebrating India's defeat. Rao stated this reflects Tharoor's personal view, not the party's, emphasizing Congress's democratic structure allows differing opinions. The BJP welcomed Tharoor's remarks, with spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla calling them courageous and criticizing Rahul Gandhi's stance.