For some people, Modi is first: Mallikarjun Kharge's swipe at Shashi Tharoor
Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge on Wedensday took a jibe at senior party leader Shashi Tharoor for his repeated praise for Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying that "for some people, Modi is first".Kharge remarks came amid a rift between Tharoor and the Congress after the Thiruvananthapuram MP was picked to lead an all-party delegation for Operation Sindoor outreach. His repeated praise for PM Modi seemed to have added fuel to the fire.advertisementWhile speaking at a press conference, he said, "Shashi Tharoor's language is very good. That is why he has been kept in the Congress Working Committee. I said in Gulbarga that we spoke in one voice, that we stood together for the country. We stood together in Operation Sindoor. We said that country first, but some people say that Modi comes first, country comes later. So, what should we do?"
Kharge's remarks came days after Tharoor, who recently returned from a five-nation outreach mission for India's Operation Sindoor on Pakistan, heaped praise on PM Modi, calling him a "prime asset for India" due to his "energy, dynamism and willingness"."Prime Minister Narendra Modi's energy, dynamism and willingness to engage remains a prime asset for India on the global stage, but deserves greater backing," Tharoor wrote in a column in The Hindu.advertisementHe also clarified that Operation Sindoor's global outreach was not a sign of his "leaping to join" the BJP, but a statement of national unity, interest and standing up for India.Tharoor's remarks during the outreach were met with severe criticism by his Congress colleagues, especially after he snubbed the surgical strikes conducted during the UPA regime and praised the Modi government's handling of the situation. The veteran, however, clapped back and accused the "critics and trolls" of distorting his views, stressing he had "better things to do".His latest praise for the Prime Minister comes days after he admitted to differences with Congress brass, even as he downplayed any rift with the leadership or cadre.Meanwhile, Kharge alleged that the Election Commission had become a "puppet" under the Modi government."PM Modi is saying I am winning elections. He is campaigning in Bihar saying I am winning again and again. The Election Commission is your puppet now, Modi. You are not winning the election. Your machine is winning," he said.His remarks came ahead of the Bihar Assembly polls, which is slated to be held in October-November this year.- EndsMust Watch
IN THIS STORY#Indian National Congress#Shashi Tharoor#Narendra Modi#India-Pakistan
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