New Delhi, Jan 9 (IANS) Minister of State for External Affairs Shashi Tharoor was once again in a bit of a spot Saturday, this time with his observatiions on India's first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru.

Tharoor said Friday that while Nehru's foreign policy had taken India to a new level in the international arena, he agreed with criticism that it ammounted to a "moralistic running commentary on other countries' behaviour". Tharoor spoke after British MP Bhikhu Parekh delivered a lecture during which he said Nehru's policies presented India in a light of "moral self-righteousness".

Tharoor has penned a highly-readable biography of Nehru.

Congress spokesman Shakeel Ahmed said Saturday the party was surprised at Tharoor's remarks as India's foreign policy carried the imprint of Mahatma Gandhi and had been pursued by Nehru following a national consensus.

"If a person belonging to Congress party, which carries Nehru's legacy, criticises these policies, it really surprises us," Ahmed told IANS.

He said that Nehru's foreign policy and his role in the Non-Aligned Movement had been appreciated globally.