THAROOR KA KYA KASOOR?

What’s Shashi Tharoor ’s fault? Why is the Congress annoyed with him? No sooner did the senior MP from the Congress party Tharoor was perceived praising the BJP-led NDA government over its handling of Operation Sindoor… that the Grand Old Party gathered enough ammo to sustain a campaign against him to make it the headlines amid conflict times!

Caught unawares, the Congress party was upset as the party had leaders like Anand Sharma, Gaurav Gogoi, Syed Naseer Hussain, and Amrinder Singh Raja Warring in mind to represent India in an allparty delegation for the diplomatic outreach post the conflict with Pakistan.

However, the government nominated Tharoor and he readily accepted the responsibility. This led to a conflict of a different kind.

With Tharoor’s act, earlier catapulted by BJP’s nomination, the powerful lobby in the Grand Old Party felt that there have been numerous instances where the senior leader (Tharoor) has been “toeing” BJP’s line and if he continued to do so, he could apparently dent the party’s prospects for the crucial Kerala assembly elections scheduled in 2026.

Also, having burnt its fingers with the exits of the likes of Jyotiraditya Scindia, Jitin Prasada among others, the party think tank were of the notion that it is best to make him leave before he springs another shock(s) on them.

They also felt that Tharoor should have been more careful with his words (his actual arsenals) and, on being asked to be a part of the delegation, he should have asked the party before agreeing to take the plunge. And not only that, his immediately accepting and taking it as an honour to be nominated to lead the delegation, irked the party which felt he should have also tagged the party in his social media post.

Even as Congress is in a huddle with the government over Operation Sindoor, the Tharoor episode has left the party in a muddle. The party is in deep dilemma now as if it acts against Tharoor or even issues a notice against him, it would give enough ammo to the BJP to slice it apart on the matter.

Also, the Tharoor episode bristles has put the Congress in bad light as on one hand the Grand Old Party had given complete support to the Centre on its fight against terror and on the Tharoor issue the party is showing its unhappiness readiness to show a big heart regarding the Tharoor issue. In general, it does not quite put the Congress in a comfortable position.

As per media reports, it is likely a matter of time before Tharoor is put on a notice period. The party apparently, will closely watch him to see what move he makes next.

A section of the party’s think tank believes that Tharoor, a four-time MP, has lived his innings as a politician. But if he hangs around and especially with his “strange” ways, he would only hurt the party in future, especially in pollbound Kerala, the think tank fears. The party is expected to draw up a strategy in the next few days… it is expected.

Tharoor as a politician is a bit out of place in Indian politics. Tharoor doesn’t quite fit into the stereotypical Congress neta type cast. The suave and articulate former United Nations diplomat-turned-MP is a near-extinct species in Indian politics, especially in Congress where loyalty and proximity to the First Family matters a lot.

Tharoor who made his transition from the UN bureaucracy to poll politics surprised one and all (perhaps). And he has had critics galore all the while.

Tharoor’s accent, classy vocabulary and personal life didn’t seem to gel well with the country’s conservative political mindset and fraternity.

Despite all the odds, Tharoor stood his ground and emerged a four-time elected MP from Thiruvananthapuram which is no mean achievement in a seat where the Left has a solid base and where the Saffron surge also has an eye.

It’s because of Tharoor’s class, one fails to perceive him in camp politics or being actively involved in the rigmarole of the daily grind… the way Indian politics actually is.

And hence, every time he supports the Modi government either on the economy or its foreign policy, the Grand Old Party focuses on him deeply with suspicion and the party unleashes a no-holds-barred “war” against Tharoor and the Saffron machinery.

The problems in general with Indian political parties are that the thought process is shrinking every nano second and there’s zero tolerance towards any expression one makes which doesn’t gel with that of the high command (of any party in general).

“Congress mein rehne aur Congress ka hone mein antar hai’ (there is a difference between being in the Congress and to be of the Congress): this was the first big response from the Congress to Shashi Tharoor.

It comes close on the heels of a recent comment by senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh that Tharoor’s opinions were not those of the party. This “lack of unity” comes just as the Congress had shown unity with the Centre over Operation Sindoor.

With Tharoor shuffling outside the off-stump on more than one occasion, the Congress is bewildered with the loyalty of Tharoor and mind it “loyalty” for Indian political parties is a deeply nurtured concept.

The Congress feels that Tharoor needs to toe some kind of a party line, which he has not been doing so far. To “unnerve” the Congress further… Tharoor has ticked on all the boxes from contesting the presidential polls to praising the Left Front government in Kerala to standing by the BJP-led NDA government on trade tariffs, handcuffing of illegal immigrants, and rubbishing claims by US President Donald Trump’s intervention for a ceasefire deal. Thereby, keeping the Congress guessing and groping for reasons in the dark.

What Congress does to Tharoor and what Tharoor again does to “embarrass” the Congress is a wild guess for one-and-all.

THE VIEWS EXPRESSED BY THE AUTHOR ARE PERSONAL

Robin Roy, The writer is Senior Journalist and former Managing Editor, First India