India, June 20 -- The BJP on Saturday launched a fresh attack on Congress leader Rahul Gandhi after senior Congress MP Shashi Tharoor backed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's position on the treatment of civilian seafarers in conflict zones, a remark the ruling party said undercut the Opposition's criticism of the government.

Speaking about PM Modi's recent engagement with US President Donald Trump and developments in West Asia, Tharoor said that Modi was right to argue that civilian sailors involved in commercial shipping should not be treated as combatants during armed conflicts.

"When it comes to the Indian sailors, the Prime Minister rather forcefully made his point, both in the public speech and, I understand, privately, that you have...