Hours after Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge snubbed party leader Shashi Tharoor over his praise for Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Thiruvananthapuram MP 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 Prime Minister Modi, party chief Kharge today 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.
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 The Hindu newspaper, he said Prime Minister 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 is not amused at Mr Tharoor not voicing the party’s narrative.
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 told the media.
Mr Kharge today said Mr Tharoor is 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.
