Prime Minister's Office Makes Big X Gesture For Congress' Shashi Tharoor
New Delhi:
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor 's opinion piece for a prominent English news website received an unexpected boost on social media after Prime Minister Narendra Modi 's office shared it on X.
The article - 'Lessons from Operation Sindoor's global outreach' - published Monday morning by The Hindu. In it Mr Tharoor had praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "energy, dynamism and willingness to engage (with other nations)", and called for greater backing for the Prime Minister.
The writing accompanying the post was straightforward - "Lok Sabha MP and former Union Minister Dr Shashi Tharoor writes - Lessons from Operation Sindoor's global outreach".
However, the fact the PMO shared the article has raised eyebrows even as buzz persists of a high-profile (arguably the highest in recent years) switch from the Congress to the BJP.
Much of that buzz has been fuelled by criticism from sections of the Congress' Kerala unit; they have criticised Mr Tharoor over what has been seen as positive comments about PM Modi.
That stand-off flared up last week too, after the four-time Thiruvananthapuram MP was absent from campaigning for his party during the Nilambur Assembly bypoll, which the Congress won.
Meanwhile, remarks by Mr Tharoor that have riled the Congress include those made in Panama last month, when he praised the Prime Minister for his response to terror strikes.
Mr Tharoor's mention of the Modi government's 2016 surgical strikes, in response to the Uri terror attack, invited a pointed 'CC' moment from the Congress, which reminded its senior leader of similar military ops when the party-led United Progressive Alliance was in power.
Panama was one of five countries, the others included the United States and Brazil, to which he led a government delegation after the Pahalgam terror attack and Operation Sindoor.
In fact, news of Mr Tharoor being appointed to lead that delegation prompted a wave of criticism too, with sections of the Congress calling him a 'super spokesperson' for the BJP's 'publicity stunts'.
He was also accused of flattering Prime Minister Modi.
All of this also fuelled talk of a blockbuster switch to the BJP but Mr Tharoor has steadfastly denied any such talk. Speaking to NDTV last week he again played down any friction with the party, calling such incidents "differences of opinion... with only some elements of leadership".
When NDTV asked him how he would define his relationship with the Congress today, Mr Tharoor pointed out he had been loyal to the party and its ideology for the last 16 years.
He also pointed out that despite joining a cross-party delegation formed by the government, he remains a member of an opposition party, and that the focus was very much on representing India to the world, and taking the country's message on terrorism to the global community.
Mr Tharoor has held meetings with senior Congress figures recently, including Rahul Gandhi, to discuss his future within the party, although no concrete outcomes have been publicised.
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