Shashi Tharoor: Thiruvananthapuram —There is new uncertainty in the Congress party after Shashi Tharoor, who has been the party’s MP in Kerala, praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi because he says Modi tells Indians to stay “restless for progress.” Tharoor called Modi a “prime asset” to India and referred to his “energy, dynamism and global engagement.”
Compliments Become Pushback
Tharoor’s comments, which he made in an op-ed on India’s diplomatic outreach, sparked criticism from Congress party members, particularly leaders of Kerala PCC. Some accused Tharoor of putting praise for Modi ahead of partisan considerations. Tharoor has defended his remarks by saying they are “for the national interest—not partisan interest.”
Tharoor asserted that recognising good governance does not mean he has abandoned his responsibility to critique. “I have been a strong critic of the Modi government, and I will continue to do so. But I think our critique has more credibility when we also note what works.”
National Optimal Interest or Political Neutrality?
His defence of this appearance of national spirit comes from a position of patriotism — “political differences should end at the water’s edge”. At the same time, he explicitly distanced himself from the supposition that he is attempting to join the BJP party, making it clear that his allegiance has always been to India first and then to his party.
Greater Tensions Erupting
After years of vocal opposition to the BJP party, Tharoor’s willingness to praise Modi when he is “doing things right” has brought speculation to his future ambitions in Congress. Some in the party are seeing this behaviour as dangerously close to undermining Congress’s identity.
Tharoor himself has certainly over 50 parliamentary interventions under his belt, including criticism of significant Modi government bills, which he would argue demonstrate loyalty to that party. But this does not convince his critics in Congress, and the disagreements are becoming even more public.
What does this mean for Congress?
Internal Divisions: The incident may exacerbate factional divides, including in Kerala, where Tharoor is a prominent name.
Strategic question: Tharoor raises a strategic question – should Congress concede where the BJP has acted prudently, or continue to oppose the BJP unequivocally?
Future intentions: Some see this as Tharoor cementing a place in the party, while others cautioned it may backfire and alienate what remains of the Congress base.
