Nation first, parties are means to make country better: Shashi Tharoor
(CWC) member
Shashi Tharoor
on Saturday said that nation comes first and parties are the means of making the country better.
Tharoor, the MP from Thiruvananthapuram, said that the objective of a party is to create a
better India
and parties have the right to disagree on the best way to do that.
Explore courses from Top Institutes in
Select a Course Category
Design Thinking
Cybersecurity
Leadership
Digital Marketing
Finance
Product Management
Artificial Intelligence
Data Science
Data Science
Project Management
Degree
CXO
healthcare
Public Policy
Operations Management
Data Analytics
MBA
Healthcare
MCA
PGDM
Others
others
Management
Technology
Skills you'll gain:
Duration:
25 Weeks
IIM Kozhikode
CERT-IIMK PCP DTIM Async India
Starts on
undefined
Get Details
Skills you'll gain:
Duration:
22 Weeks
IIM Indore
CERT-IIMI DTAI Async India
Starts on
undefined
Get Details
He also said that he will stand his ground regarding supporting the nation's armed forces and the government as he believes "this is the right thing for the country".
by Taboola
by Taboola
Sponsored Links
Sponsored Links
Promoted Links
Promoted Links
You May Like
My 4-year-old kidneys are failing, only you can help
Donate For Health
Donate Now
Undo
"Which is your first loyalty? To my mind, the nation comes first. Parties are a means of making the nation better. So, to my mind, whichever party you belong to, the objective of the party is to create a better India in its own way.
"Now, parties have every right to disagree about the best way of doing that.. As you know, a lot of people have been very critical of me because of the stand I have taken, supporting our armed forces and our government, and what happened recently in our country and our borders," he said, while speaking at a private event here on 'Peace, Harmony and National Development'.
Live Events
"But I will stand my ground, because I believe this is the right thing for the country," the Congress MP added.
During his speech, he further said that politics is unfortunately or otherwise, in any democracy, about competition.
"As a result, when people like me say we respect our parties, we have certain values and convictions that keep us in our parties, but we need to cooperate with other parties in the interests of
national security
, sometimes the parties feel that its disloyal to them and that becomes a big problem," he said.
Later, on the sidelines of the event, he told reporters that "nation first was always my philosophy".
He said that he came back to India only to serve the nation in whatever he can, through and outside politics.
"I have tried to do that," he said.
On being asked whether he has any problems with the Congress high command, he said he was not here to discuss any politics or problems.
"I came to give two speeches. Both the speeches were on themes I hope the public will respect and value. First one was about development, the role of businesses and peace and harmony.
"The second was mainly on the theme of communal harmony and trying, at the same time, to live together in order for all of us to grow and develop. Inclusive development has been my theme throughout my 16 years in politics and I believe in inclusiveness and in development. I also believe in national security and national interest," he said.
Regarding the recent survey controversy, Tharoor said he frankly does not know who carries out such surveys.
"Someone forwarded it to me and I did a salute as a reply. I did not have anything more to say and I made no comment and I am not making any comment," he said.
He was replying to a reporter's query regarding a survey which suggested he is the Congress-led UDF's most preferred choice for chief minister.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Deccan Herald
28 minutes ago
- Deccan Herald
Those who don't understand Constitution criticise it: Kharge
Vijayapura: Some people who don't even understand the Constitution criticise it. Without the Constitution, we wouldn't have had freedom, equality, education, and voting rights for women. Because of the Constitution, people in this country have strength. For citizens to live in peace, happiness, and harmony, the Constitution is essential, said AICC president Mallikarjun was speaking at the remembrance programme of Fa Gu Halakatti, Banthanal Sanganabasava Shivayogi, B M Patil and Bangaramma Sajjan, who were instrumental in establishing and developing the BLDE institution, here on Sunday.'Some people say the individual comes first, and then the nation. I don't know how such thoughts struck their minds. If the nation survives, then everyone survives. So, we should understand that the nation comes first,' he said, in a veiled attack on Prime Minister Narendra about the caste census in the country, Kharge said those who have benefited from various facilities say it is not necessary. But those who are deprived of these benefits insist that a caste census should be done. Caste census is essential to bring equality in society and to provide opportunities to the underprivileged, he emphasised.'No regrets''I fought as the Leader of the Opposition in 1999 and worked hard to bring the party to power. But S M Krishna became the chief minister. Still, I have no regrets about missing that opportunity,' he said.'I have never chased power. I earned positions through my efforts. From being the Congress President to now holding the AICC post, I have reached this stage. You can't achieve anything if you work with selfish intentions,' he added.'When I was a six-year-old boy, I lost my mother and sister during the Razakar violence. I was raised under the care of my father, said Kharge, turning emotional as he recalled several incidents unfolded in his life.'Dhankhar must reveal'Former vice president Jagdeep Dhankhar himself should reveal the reason behind his sudden resignation, said to questions posed by media persons here on Sunday, he said only Modi and Dhankhar know the real reason for the vice president's resignation. We are not aware of what happened between has always sided with the central government. We were never given a chance to speak about farmers' problems, the plight of the poor or international matters, he expressed we tried to raise issues concerning the poor, it was portrayed as a Hindu-Muslim conflict, he added.
The Hindu
28 minutes ago
- The Hindu
Kavitha asks Jagruthi activists to question Congress leaders in villages on Rythu Declaration
HYDERABAD President of the Telangana Jagruthi and BRS MLC K. Kavitha has asked the Jagruthi activists to question Congress leaders visiting villages for 'betraying' farmers, as the ruling party has failed to implement even one promise made as part of the Rythu Declaration made in Warangal before the elections. Speaking in Warangal on Sunday, she said that farmers had believed in Rahul Gandhi who had announced the Rythu Declaration and voted for the Congress. However, they were deceived squarely by the ruling party. The first promise in the declaration – farm loan waiver up to ₹2 lakh was implemented only for 50% of eligible farmers in phases. The promise of ₹15,000 investment support a year (for two crop seasons) under Rythu Bharosa was also implemented in truncated version as it was implemented with the amount fixed in BRS regime first and for this Kharif it was given at ₹6,000 per acre. In between, it was either not given at all or given to only a section of the farming community. Similarly, the ₹12,000 per farm worker promised in the declaration was not implemented so far, though it was stated that it would cover only 20 lakh workers against one-crore rural employment guarantee scheme cardholders. Ms. Kavitha stated that of the 789 farmers had allegedly committed suicide out of distress and who were not helped by the then governments during 12-13 years before formation of the State, the BRS Government during 2014-23 had provided ₹5 lakh assistance each the families about 400. In case the government failed to help the families of the remaining farmers, the Jagruthi would come to their rescue. She demanded that the Mamnoor airport, coming up near Warangal, be named after Rani Rudrama Devi.
The Hindu
28 minutes ago
- The Hindu
'Not found suitable' clause weaponised against SCs, STs, OBCs to deny them job opportunities: Congress
The Congress on Sunday (July 27, 2025) slammed the Narendra Modi government over vacant reserved posts for SCs, STs, and OBCs in central universities and alleged that the "not found suitable" clause was being "weaponised" against these categories to deny them fair employment opportunities. Congress general secretary (communications) Jairam Ramesh cited a written reply in Parliament by Minister of State for Education, Sukanta Majumdar last week to attack the government. In his reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha on July 23, Mr. Majumdar said that for the post of professor, out of 308 seats reserved for the SC community, 111 had been filled; out of 144 seats for the ST community, 24 had been filled, and out of 423 seats, 84 had been filled. For associate professor, out of 632 posts for SCs, 308 had been filled; out of 307 posts for STs, 108 been filled; and out of 883 posts for OBCs, 275 had been filled. For assistant professor, out of 1,370 posts for SCs, 1,180 had been filled; out of 704 posts for STs, 595 had been filled; and out of 2,382 posts for OBCs, 1,838 had been filled, the Union Minister had said. In a post on X, Mr. Ramesh said that in its reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha, the Modi government has revealed the staggering level of vacancies among SC, ST, and OBC reserved faculty positions in central universities. '80% positions for OBCs, 83% positions for STs, and 64% positions for SCs at the professor level are vacant. In the general category, the vacancies are 39%. 69% positions for OBCs, 65% positions for STs, and 51% positions for SCs at the associate professor level are vacant. In the general category, the vacancies are 16%,' he said. "23% positions for OBCs, 15% positions for STs, and 14% positions for SCs at the assistant professor level are vacant. In the general category, the vacancies are only 8%," he added. While the government has claimed that it does not centrally collect data on the prevalence of "not found suitable" (NFS) during the recruitment for faculty positions, the data is unequivocal, Mr. Ramesh said. The distinctly higher level of vacancies among reserved positions as compared to general category positions clearly points to a much higher prevalence of NFS for these candidates, he contended. "This is clear evidence of the issue that @Rahul Gandhi has raised -- that NFS is being weaponised against SC, ST, and OBC candidates to deny them fair employment opportunities and to subvert the Constitutional provision for reservations in public employment," Mr. Ramesh said. Mr. Gandhi on Friday also attacked the Modi government over vacant reserved posts for SCs, STs, and OBCs in central universities and said this is not just negligence but a "well-planned conspiracy" to keep "bahujans" out of education, research and policies. He had demanded that all such vacant posts be filled immediately and 'Bahujans' be given their rights, not "Manuwadi boycott".
