India, June 24 -- The Congress on Saturday sought to downplay the controversy over party MP Shashi Tharoor's comments praising Prime Minister Narendra Modi's diplomatic outreach, with senior leader Jairam Ramesh saying that differing opinions are part of the party's democratic functioning.

Responding to questions on Tharoor backing PM Modi's remarks during his meeting with US President Donald Trump at the G7 Summit, Ramesh said Congress allows its leaders to express their views and discuss issues freely within party forums.

"We have very knowledgeable and experienced leaders in our party who have much to say on national and international issues, but we are a democratic party, and we allow different points of views to be aired, and we ha...