‘PM Modi sees Constitution as sacrosanct’: Shashi Tharoor amid a growing rift with Congress

Tharoor said he had taken a strong stand on Operation Sindoor and remained “unapologetic” about it. He had written a column for The Indian Express after the Pahalgam terror attack, stating that it should not go unpunished. He said he was surprised when the PM Modi-led government did exactly what he had recommended.

The Thiruvananthapuram MP’s comments come amid speculation about his differences with his party’s leadership and over alleged repeated attempts by state party leaders to sideline him.

In an interview with new agency PTI on the same day, Tharoor said he has some “issues” with the party which he would take up with the leadership, and that any internal differences should be discussed within the organisation and not through the media. He asserted that he has never violated the party’s stated positions in the Parliament.

“All I can say is that there are issues which I need to take up with my own party leadership and not in a public forum…I will be going to Delhi for Parliament, and I will get an opportunity, I believe, to make my concerns very clear to the party leadership and get their viewpoint…have a proper conversation,” Tharoor said.

“I have been in Congress for the past 17 years. Let’s not go too far…as far as I am concerned, whatever has gone wrong needs to be addressed, and it will be addressed in an appropriate forum,” he added.

Ahead of the Assembly elections in Kerala, the All India Congress Committee (AICC) on Friday held a crucial meeting with top party leaders from the state in Delhi, but Tharoor was absent.

Tharoor reportedly felt “deeply insulted” due to the events that unfolded at the party’s grand mahapanchayat in Kochi earlier this week. LoP in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi took the names of several leaders who were on the dais while beginning his speech, but did not mention Tharoor.

As per reports, Tharoor was asked to conclude his speech before Gandhi arrived on the stage only to witness at least six party leaders – including some non-Congress Working Committee members – speak after him in Gandhi’s presence.

In November 2024, writing an article on dynasty politics in which he says that the Nehru-Gandhi family “cemented the idea that political leadership can be a birthright.”