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Shashi Tharoor says cross-party cooperation seen as disloyalty: 'Becomes a big problem'
Shashi Tharoor made the remarks while answering a question from a ‘high school’ student in Kochi about his relations with the Congress party leadership.
Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Saturday said that politics in any democracy is unfortunately about competition and added that sometimes cross-party cooperation could be seen as disloyalty.
Tharoor made the remarks while answering a question from a ‘high school’ student in Kochi about his relations with the Congress party leadership in recent times, particularly after he led an all-party delegation to the Americas in the wake of the Pahalgam attack and Operation Sindoor.
“Politics is… about competition. When people like me say we respect our parties… but we need to cooperate with other parties in the interest of national security…sometimes the parties feel this is disloyal. That becomes a big problem,” Tharoor said.
“A lot of people have been very critical of me because of the stand I’ve taken supporting our armed forces and our government… But I will stand my ground because I believe this is the right thing for the country,” the Congress leader added.
Tharoor emphasised that national security will always come first for him and that any political party wants to improve the country.
“To my mind, the nation comes first. Parties are a means of making the nation better,” Tharoor said. “Whichever party you belong to, the objective of that party is to create a better India in its own way."
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Tharoor also stressed that while parties may differ in ideology, such as capitalism vs socialism, regulation vs free market, they should all be committed to a “better, safer India.”
The Congress MP urged all political parties to stay united when the nation is "imperilled". Quoting former Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, Tharoor said: “Who lives if India dies?”
Later, on the sidelines of the event, he told reporters his philosophy has always been “nation first”, according to PTI.
He pointed out that he came back to India only to serve the nation in whatever he can, through and outside politics.
On being asked whether he has any problems with the Congress high command, he said he was not here to discuss any politics or problems, PTI reported.
