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‘Modi started it, not Rahul Gandhi’: Tharoor on discussing India’s issues abroad
Shashi Tharoor also opened up about the Congress presidential elections and speculations around him contesting Kerala assembly elections in 2026.
Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor defended former party chief Rahul Gandhi's remarks in London on India's democracy, saying it was Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) who had initiated the trend of discussing the country's internal affairs on the international platform.
“The political differences within the country should be limited to the border. However, it is also a fact that the BJP and Modi Ji were the first ones to break this. It was PM Modi who made a remark on an international platform that nothing good happened in India in the last 60 years,” Tharoor said at Rajat Sharma's ‘Aap Ki Adalat’ show.
The Lok Sabha member from Thiruvananthapuram also opened up about the Congress presidential election –which he lost to veteran party leader Mallikarjun Kharge – and the demise of his wife Sunanda Pushkar.
When asked about the reports of friction in the party over his decision to contest the Congress presidential election in 2022, Tharoor dismissed it as mere rumours and said he had discussed it with then Congress president Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.
He said, “I met all three of them before filing my nomination, and I was ready to give up if they had advised against it in order to maintain unity in the party. However, they never said so. In fact, they motivated me. Mallikarjun Kharge won, and I respect the decision.”
Talking about his personal life, Tharoor expressed his dismay over the way his name was implicated in his wife's death. He said, “It was disheartening to see certain individuals attempting to gain political advantage from it. Those who are familiar with me know that I could never engage in such behaviour.”
Shashi Tharoor also cleared the air of speculations about his plans to contest the Kerala assembly polls in the backdrop of his heightened focus on the state. Referring to Kerala as his 'Karma Bhoomi,' the three-time MP from Thiruvananthapuram said, “I need more time to decide on this.”
He acknowledged that there is resistance within his party and that some people would not like him to get entangled in state politics. However, if it can bring about a positive change in the lives of people, Tharoor added, he would consider it.
The episode will be aired on June 3 at 10pm on India TV.
