Shashi Tharoor’s birthday message for Narendra Modi

On Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s birthday last year, I tweeted: “Happy Birthday @narendramodi. May you continue to serve India with energy & commitment. Will continue to disagree with your politics, but with respect!” What surprised me was his response, barely a couple of hours later: “Thank you, Dr. Tharoor. And, what is our democracy without constructive criticism! Debate makes us stronger.”

It is this capacity to reach out across the political divide to opponents that struck me as the most unusual personal characteristic of our Prime Minister. I had, after all, used the occasion of his birthday to remind him again of our political differences; yet he had not only taken that in his stride, but turned it around into a positive message of conciliation and collegiality.

A similar thing had happened, in fact, on the day of his election victory in 2014. It was only in the evening, as the results poured in and the size of his majority became apparent, that I issued this somewhat grudging tweet: “Still touring my constituency to thank party workers, but before it’s too late, congratulations @NarendraModi & BJP on an astonishing victory”. Within minutes this came back from him: “@ShashiTharoor Many thanks. Congratulations for your victory as well. Let’s work together to create a better India!”

This is the spirit in which I wish Narendra Modi ji a happy birthday today in 2016. Let us, Government and Opposition, work together to create a better India. When your policies are manifestly in the national interest, let us support you; and when, in our view, they are not, let us take opposition constructively, respecting each other’s sincere faith in different paths to India’s betterment.

In that spirit, I wish Narendra Modi ji a long, healthy and productive life in the service of our nation.

Here’s Modi’s response:

This article originally appeared on Narendra Modi’s official Website