Having been dogged by controversies ever since he entered politics nearly six years ago, former Union minister Shashi Tharoor continues to find himself in the eye of a storm.
On Wednesday, the irrepressible Tharoor got a dressing down from Congress president Sonia Gandhi for informing the media about the views expressed by him at Tuesday’s meeting of the party's Lok Sabha members to discuss its strategy in Parliament.
Tharoor was quoted as saying that the Congress should not derail Parliamentary proceedings as these tactics would not prove effective. Tharoor had argued that unlike the Bharatiya Janata Party, which had 110 members when it was in the opposition, the 44-member Congress would not be able to take on its numerically stronger political opponent. He further said that the Congress could be isolated as other opposition parties may not support their demand for the resignation of BJP leaders. Tharoor also pointed out that their protests could prove counter-productive as the government is determined to brazen out this attack.
Unusual public display
A visibly furious Sonia Gandhi pulled up Tharoor at today’s meeting in the presence of other party MPs. “You always do this…it appears to have become a habit with you,” she told him while pointing to the newspaper reports in front of her.
Tharoor made a feeble attempt to defend himself, stating that this was the handiwork of his political detractors in the party. But the Congress president was unwilling to listen to him.
Sonia Gandhi’s display of anger was most unusual as the Congress president is not known to tick off party leaders publicly. Congress insiders said the fact that she reprimanded Tharoor in the presence of his colleagues suggested that she was really furious with the former minister.
Another former Union minister, Jairam Ramesh, was also in the firing line three days ago when he suggested at an internal party meeting that the Congress should not stall Parliament as it would send out a wrong message. Sonia Gandhi had instantly vetoed his suggestion, pointing out sharply that "as a political party" they could not back off.
In fact, both Sonia Gandhi and Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi have told party MPs to be at their aggressive best in Parliament. Both are said to be firm that the Congress would stand its ground irrespective of the stand of other opposition parties. On Wednesday, Congress MP wore black bands to press their demand for the resignation of external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj and Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh chief ministers Vasundhara Raje and Shivraj Singh Chouhan.
The open reprimand handed down to Tharoor and Ramesh will gladden many Congress members as neither are very popular with their colleagues. Tharoor’s detractors will be particularly pleased as the former minister has always flaunted his proximity to the Gandhi family.
Changing equations
It is precisely for this reason that the party’s Kerala unit has never taken to Tharoor, and was unhappy when the Congress fielded him from the prestigious Thiruvananthapuram Lok Sabha constituency in the 2009 and 2014 elections. Tharoor won both times against heavy odds, especially as he contested the last Lok Sabha election a few months after his wife Sunanda Pushkar was found dead in mysterious circumstances amid reports about their strained relationship.
The Congress unit in Kerala is always alert to Tharoor’s activities and statements and never loses an opportunity to pin him down on some pretext or other. Tharoor was at the receiving end when he had publicly praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his “inclusive and conciliatory language” and then readily accepted Modi’s invitation to become one of the brand ambassadors for his Swacch Bharat Abhiyan.
The state unit had written an angry letter to the Congress leadership complaining about Tharoor’s controversial statements and demanded that action be taken against him. His detractors privately maintain that the former minister does not wish to alienate the Modi government because of the pending enquiry into his wife’s death. They eventually forced the Congress leadership to drop Tharoor from the panel of party spokespersons.
Great survivor
But Tharoor is not new to controversies. The former UN diplomat and writer has never been out of the news since his entry to the Lok Sabha in 2009. He was constantly being pulled up for his irreverent tweets and earned the party’s ire when he opted to stay in a five-star hotel while waiting to be allotted an official accommodation. But these were minor transgressions as compared to the political storm kicked off after it was revealed that Tharoor’s wife had secured sweat equity when he purchased the Kochi IPL team. Tharoor had to step down as minister of state for external affairs.
But it is also true that Tharoor is a great survivor. He managed to bounce back and was accommodated in the government as junior minister in the human resource development ministry two years after he was forced to resign. It will, therefore, not be a surprise if Tharoor is soon back in favour.
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On Wednesday, the irrepressible Tharoor got a dressing down from Congress president Sonia Gandhi for informing the media about the views expressed by him at Tuesday’s meeting of the party's Lok Sabha members to discuss its strategy in Parliament.
Tharoor was quoted as saying that the Congress should not derail Parliamentary proceedings as these tactics would not prove effective. Tharoor had argued that unlike the Bharatiya Janata Party, which had 110 members when it was in the opposition, the 44-member Congress would not be able to take on its numerically stronger political opponent. He further said that the Congress could be isolated as other opposition parties may not support their demand for the resignation of BJP leaders. Tharoor also pointed out that their protests could prove counter-productive as the government is determined to brazen out this attack.
Unusual public display
A visibly furious Sonia Gandhi pulled up Tharoor at today’s meeting in the presence of other party MPs. “You always do this…it appears to have become a habit with you,” she told him while pointing to the newspaper reports in front of her.
Tharoor made a feeble attempt to defend himself, stating that this was the handiwork of his political detractors in the party. But the Congress president was unwilling to listen to him.
Sonia Gandhi’s display of anger was most unusual as the Congress president is not known to tick off party leaders publicly. Congress insiders said the fact that she reprimanded Tharoor in the presence of his colleagues suggested that she was really furious with the former minister.
Another former Union minister, Jairam Ramesh, was also in the firing line three days ago when he suggested at an internal party meeting that the Congress should not stall Parliament as it would send out a wrong message. Sonia Gandhi had instantly vetoed his suggestion, pointing out sharply that "as a political party" they could not back off.
In fact, both Sonia Gandhi and Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi have told party MPs to be at their aggressive best in Parliament. Both are said to be firm that the Congress would stand its ground irrespective of the stand of other opposition parties. On Wednesday, Congress MP wore black bands to press their demand for the resignation of external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj and Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh chief ministers Vasundhara Raje and Shivraj Singh Chouhan.
The open reprimand handed down to Tharoor and Ramesh will gladden many Congress members as neither are very popular with their colleagues. Tharoor’s detractors will be particularly pleased as the former minister has always flaunted his proximity to the Gandhi family.
Changing equations
It is precisely for this reason that the party’s Kerala unit has never taken to Tharoor, and was unhappy when the Congress fielded him from the prestigious Thiruvananthapuram Lok Sabha constituency in the 2009 and 2014 elections. Tharoor won both times against heavy odds, especially as he contested the last Lok Sabha election a few months after his wife Sunanda Pushkar was found dead in mysterious circumstances amid reports about their strained relationship.
The Congress unit in Kerala is always alert to Tharoor’s activities and statements and never loses an opportunity to pin him down on some pretext or other. Tharoor was at the receiving end when he had publicly praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his “inclusive and conciliatory language” and then readily accepted Modi’s invitation to become one of the brand ambassadors for his Swacch Bharat Abhiyan.
The state unit had written an angry letter to the Congress leadership complaining about Tharoor’s controversial statements and demanded that action be taken against him. His detractors privately maintain that the former minister does not wish to alienate the Modi government because of the pending enquiry into his wife’s death. They eventually forced the Congress leadership to drop Tharoor from the panel of party spokespersons.
Great survivor
But Tharoor is not new to controversies. The former UN diplomat and writer has never been out of the news since his entry to the Lok Sabha in 2009. He was constantly being pulled up for his irreverent tweets and earned the party’s ire when he opted to stay in a five-star hotel while waiting to be allotted an official accommodation. But these were minor transgressions as compared to the political storm kicked off after it was revealed that Tharoor’s wife had secured sweat equity when he purchased the Kochi IPL team. Tharoor had to step down as minister of state for external affairs.
But it is also true that Tharoor is a great survivor. He managed to bounce back and was accommodated in the government as junior minister in the human resource development ministry two years after he was forced to resign. It will, therefore, not be a surprise if Tharoor is soon back in favour.