Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, June 25: Even while snubbing his party’s senior leader Shashi Tharoor for his high praises for the Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “energy and dynamism,” the Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Wednesday ruled out any “action” against the Thiruvananthapuram MP for his remarks despite it being inconsistent with the party’s line on the issue.
“People will write what they feel like, we don’t want to get involved in all that. We want unity for the nation, and we will keep fighting for the nation. There are nearly 34 CWC members and 30 special invitees, each with their views. What he is saying reflects his personal opinion. We are focused on saving the nation. If someone is concerned about something else, then you should ask him,” Mr Kharge said.
Mr Kharge’s remarks came amid the buzz over an article Mr Tharoor wrote about India’s outreach in the aftermath of Operation Sindoor. In the article published in a newspaper, Mr Tharoor had said Mr Modi’s energy, dynamism and willingness to engage remained a “prime asset” for India on the global stage but deserved greater backing. His remarks irked the Congress and widened the rift between the leadership and the diplomat-turned-politician. The main Opposition has been targeting the government and was not amused at Mr Tharoor not voicing the party’s narrative.
Hours after Mr Kharge’s snub, Mr Tharoor put up a post on X that was widely seen as a reply to his party colleagues’ barbs. “Don’t ask permission to fly. The wings are yours. And the sky belongs to no one,” read the message with a bird’s photograph.
Weighing in on the chatter over Mr Tharoor’s praise for Mr Modi, the party chief said it’s “country first for us, but for some people, it’s Modi first.” This is, by far, the strongest snub to Mr Tharoor from the Congress leadership. Earlier, Mr Tharoor’s party colleagues fired barbs at him over his remarks in the aftermath of the Pahalgam attack and Operation Sindoor. At an event in Moscow, Mr Tharoor said his article was not a sign of his “leaping to join” the BJP, but a statement of national unity, interest and standing up for India.
The Congress yesterday distanced itself from Mr Tharoor’s remark. “It may be his own opinion, it is not the opinion of the Congress party. It is not the Congress’s view since we have presented our views with evidence and proof,” party spokesperson Supriya Shrinate had told the media.
Mr Kharge said Mr Tharoor was very fluent in English. “I can’t read English well. His language is very good. That’s why we have made him a Congress Working Committee member,” he said. The Congress chief added that in the aftermath of the Pahalgam attack, which left 26 innocents dead, the whole Opposition said it stands with the Army. “We said the country comes first, party later. Some people feel ‘Modi first, country later’. What can we do?”
Mr Tharoor has been articulating New Delhi’s position to national and international media in the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack and India’s counterstrike, Operation Sindoor. His sharp remarks endeared him even to critics, who praised him for setting aside party differences in an hour of crisis.
The Congress, which assured full support to the Centre in its action against those behind the Pahalgam terror attack, later changed tack and asked the government to come clean on what led to the ceasefire and questioned what role the US played in it. Against this backdrop, Mr Tharoor’s remarks backing the government and the latter choosing him to lead an Indian delegation did not sit well with a section of the main Opposition.
Mr Kharge also attacked the BJP for observing the 50th anniversary of the declaration of emergency by the former prime minister Indira Gandhi as the “Samvidhan Hatya Divas” and said the ruling party was “staging the drama” only to hide the failures of its government. Claiming that an “undeclared emergency” was prevailing in the country, Mr Kharge hit back at Mr Modi for his jibes on emergency and said a government which has no tolerance and did not allow fraternity and liberty to prosper has no right to lecture others.
Mr Kharge slammed the BJP-RSS and said those who “played no role in the independence of the country, in framing the Constitution, and rejected Babasaheb Ambedkar’s Constitution” are raking up the Emergency, 50 years after it was imposed. The same people are now talking of saving the Constitution, he added. Slamming Prime Minister Modi, Mr Kharge said the Constitution was in danger because of him and his governance. The Congress chief also alleged that there was no freedom of expression and movement under the Modi government.
“Those (BJP-RSS) people who are talking of “Samvidhan Bachao” are now raking up the Emergency after 50 years. It was something people had forgotten and they are now raking it up,” he said. Mr Kharge said that the BJP-RSS had rejected the Constitution and stated that it did not have our cultural aspects, such as elements of the Manusmriti. “They (BJP-RSS) did all this and have now been suddenly enlightened.”
According to the Congress chief, the BJP was rattled by the Congress’ Samvidhan Bachao Yatra and was therefore raking up the Emergency of 50 years ago. “These people failed in governance, and their failure is such that people are concerned over inflation, the government has no answer to unemployment, corruption and economic failure. To hide their lies and failure, they have staged this drama,” Mr Kharge said. He said economic inequalities have widened so much that they cannot be bridged. “You have brought in an undeclared emergency,” the Congress president said.
