Jaipur, Feb 2 (PTI) Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Sunday said he supports the centre's decision to dedicate the largest portion of the union budget to defence, as it would send out a message that India is not a weak country and cannot be trifled with.

Speaking to the media on the sidelines of the Jaipur Literature Festival, Tharoor said that what happened on the India-China border should not be repeated, and to ensure that it is important to spend money on defence.

"I think it's very important to spend money on India's defences. We don't spend on the defence budget to wage a war, we do it to discourage other countries from feeling that we are weak and they can engage in an adventure against us," the Thiruvananthapuram MP said.

"What happened on the Chinese border that should never happen again. We have to be very strong and it should be clear to them that we are strong and cannot be trifled with. That's why it's important to spend on the defence budget. I am not against this," he added.

"In fact I have been saying this for quite some time now that we need to increase our defence budget, especially since we have such a huge coastline. We should make a stronger navy," he said.

The leader also suggested that there is a shortage of officers in the Army.

"According to my understanding, there is a dearth of officers in our country who fight from the front. We lost so many officers because of this in the Kargil War. Our Army cannot experience a shortage of officers," the 68-year-old said.

He was also asked about the assembly polls in the national capital where INDIA bloc allies Congress and Aam Aadmi Party leaders have been exchanging barbs.

Responding to a question about the future of the INDIA bloc, Tharoor said that at the inception of the alliance there was an understanding that it would not work in every state.

"In Tamil Nadu, you have the Congress, CPI, CPM, DMK all together in an alliance in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and in my constituency and throughout Kerala I am fighting with the communists, who are my allies in the INDIA alliance. So it was always understood it would work that way," Tharoor said.

He added it was hard to imagine the left front and the Congress-led United Democratic Front in Kerala could ever come together.

"In Delhi, we managed to be on the same page with the AAP in the Lok Sabha election, but other contradictions have come to the fore in the assembly election. So, I think the reality would vary from state to state," he said.

He added it is possible that all parties come together in next elections and again part ways.

"I don't think that there is any need to either write an overall obituary or write a note of celebration that we are all coming together again," he said.

The JLF this year features a lineup of over 300 luminaries such as Nobel laureates, Booker Prize winners, journalists, policymakers, and acclaimed writers.

The participants include Abhijit Banerjee, Esther Dufflo, Amol Palekar, Ira Mukhoty, Geetanjali Shree, David Hare, Manav Kaul, Javed Akhtar, Rahul Bose, Yuvan Aves, Shahu Patole and Kallol Bhattacharjee. PTI MAH MAH TIR TIR

Defence spending as deterrent: increased budget emphasis signals national resolve and calls for stronger navy and officer ranks. The article endorses prioritising defence allocation in the national budget to strengthen deterrence and prevent border incursions, advocates increased naval capability given the coastline, and stresses addressing a perceived shortage of frontline officers; it also notes that multi-party electoral alliances are pragmatic and may vary by state and election.