Shashi Tharoor recently got in the spotlight after he had taken a stand contrary to the stand of the Gandhi Nehru family with regard to statements made by American president Trump. Congress leader Shashi Tharoor sent shivers down the spine of the opposition camp when he came out in support of Prime Minister Narendra Modi against the main opposition line; which had banked on Pakistani propaganda and questioned the government even after firm response from Minister of External Affairs, Dr. S Jaishankar in the lower house over claims made by Donald Trump. Now in another incident of raising voice against the current prevailing conditions in Congress, Shashi Tharoor In an interview to PTI has said that “lack of clarity” over leadership following Rahul Gandhi’s resignation is hurting the grand old party.
“It is certainly quite true that the lack of clarity at the top of the party is likely to be hurting the Congress workers and sympathizers, many of whom miss the fact of having a party leader to look to for key decisions, authority and even inspiration and energy, to rally together and move forward,” Shashi Tharoor said.
Earlier, strengthening Narendra Modi’s position after Donald Trump wrongly claimed that Modi asked Trump to mediate between India and Pakistan over Kashmir issue, the diplomat in Shashi Tharoor made a sensible non-partisan comment on the issue before the Congress party could decide its line to pick on Narendra Modi. Shashi Tharoor had said “I honestly don’t think Trump has the slightest idea of what he’s talking about. He has either not been briefed or not understood what Modi was saying or what India’s position is on 3rd-party mediation. That said, MEA should clarify that Delhi has never sought his intercession.”
I honestly don't think Trump has the slightest idea of what he's talking about. He has either not been briefed or not understood what Modi was saying or what India's position is on 3rd-party mediation. That said, MEA should clarify that Delhi has never sought his intercession. https://t.co/DxRpNu6vw2
— Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) July 22, 2019
While Shashi Tharoor had supported India’s stand on Kashmir, Congress chief? Rahul Gandhi had come out and instead of calling out American president Trump for his vacuous comment, questioned the Indian side and took aim at Prime Minister Modi. He had tweeted: “President Trump says PM Modi asked him to mediate between India & Pakistan on Kashmir! If true, PM Modi has betrayed India’s interests & 1972 Shimla Agreement. A weak Foreign Ministry denial won’t do. PM must tell the nation what transpired in the meeting between him & @POTUS”
President Trump says PM Modi asked him to mediate between India & Pakistan on Kashmir!
If true, PM Modi has betrayed India’s interests & 1972 Shimla Agreement.
A weak Foreign Ministry denial won’t do. PM must tell the nation what transpired in the meeting between him & @POTUS
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) July 23, 2019
These comments by Shashi Tharoor surely did not go down well with the top brass of the Congress which has taken a total 180 degree stand on the issue. So much so that Gulam Nabi Azad, senior Congress party leader staged a walk out in the upper house raking up the issue.
However, Shashi Tharoor’s later comments clearly indicated towards a change of winds in Tharoor’s attitude towards the grand old party, Tharoor in a cryptic comment also called for faces which could “bring in the support of more voters” to the top post essentially discarding the Gandhi family’s loyal old guard from the race.
“If the new president is purely an organizational person, while he or she may be able to galvanize the workers and strengthen the foundations of the party, they may be unable to bring in the support of more voters,” Shashi Tharoor said.
Shashi Tharoor also indirectly pointed that it should be less likely for Priyanka Gandhi to be made the Congress president “But at the same time…Rahul Gandhi’s statement that no member from the Gandhi family should replace him, seems to rule this option out. It is really for the Gandhi family to decide where they collectively stand on this issue,” he said.
Nonetheless, Shashi Tharoor’s stand on the controversy sparked by Donald Trump and now these recent comments are also sure to not go down well with the Gandhi family and its loyalists. The top leadership of Congress, that is the Nehru-Gandhi family, is considered sacrosanct and their will is the final word and as such Tharoor’s ‘slights’ within a week indicate a calculate move on the part of the Congress MP. However, Shashi Tharoor’s comments surely leave room for speculations, if his comments were specifically directed toward a particular Congress leader or his intention to jump of ships to other parties which is unlikely but cannot be struck off from the list of possibilities looking at the dire conditions at the grand old party.
