Congress MP Shashi Tharoor defended his praise for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s US visit and Kerala’s Left Democratic Front (LDF) government. Speaking to reporters on Saturday, he explained his approach to politics.
“For 16 years, I have been in politics. Whenever a government, whether ours or another party’s, does something right, we should acknowledge it. However, when they do something wrong, we should criticize it,” Tharoor said.
Moreover, he argued that extreme praise or constant criticism would make him lose credibility. “There’s got to be some give and take in democracy,” he added.
Concerns Over Modi’s US Visit
Although Tharoor admitted the visit had positive outcomes, he pointed out unresolved issues. He questioned why India’s deportation of illegal immigrants was not addressed.
“Why did the question of the way in which those illegal immigrants were returned to India not get addressed?… Did PM Modi raise it behind closed doors?” he asked.
Nevertheless, he welcomed the nine-month negotiation period on trade and tariffs. According to him, this was better than Washington imposing sudden tariffs, which could have hurt India’s exports.
Tharoor Supports Bipartisanship
Furthermore, Tharoor emphasized that national interests should come before party politics. “It seems to me that something good has been achieved, and I applaud that as an Indian. We can’t always speak only in terms of party interests,” he said.
Tharoor’s Earlier Remarks and Congress’ Reaction
Earlier on Friday, Tharoor praised Modi’s US visit, saying key concerns were addressed. He noted that the joint press conference showed productive talks.
“To hear a man like Donald Trump, whose defence secretary yesterday (Thursday) called him the greatest negotiator in the world, announcing that the Indian prime minister was a better negotiator than he was, that sounds like something Mr Modi can put in the bank, that sounds very good,” he had said.
In addition, Tharoor wrote an article appreciating Kerala’s startup growth under the LDF government. However, Kerala Congress leaders strongly opposed his remarks.
Congress Leaders Object
According to Onmanorama, the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) sent a letter of dissent against Tharoor to the All India Congress Committee (AICC) High Command.
Meanwhile, Congress leader VD Satheesan questioned Tharoor’s data on Kerala’s startup economy. He raised doubts about the accuracy of the figures.
