Tharoor In CWC Because Of His English, Says Kharge Amid Row Over Modi Praise

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge on Wednesday took a veiled dig at senior party leader Shashi Tharoor, suggesting that the Thiruvananthapuram MP earned his place in the Congress Working Committee (CWC) because of his strong command of English. The remarks came days after Tharoor praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi, stirring controversy within the party.

At a press conference, Kharge said, “I don’t read English, but his (Tharoor’s) English is very good. That’s why we made him a member of the Working Committee.” The statement was a clear jibe at Tharoor, whose recent article described Modi’s “energy, dynamism and willingness to engage” as a “prime asset” for India on the global stage.

Party differences surface again

Kharge also aimed Tharoor’s recent remarks, stating, “The entire Opposition said the country stands with the Indian Army. I was the first to say the nation is above all. But some people say Modi comes first, and the country later. What should we do about that?”

Tharoor, responding to criticism in Thiruvananthapuram last week, admitted to differences with the Congress leadership. He said, “Yes, I have differences of opinion with the Congress leadership — that is known. Some matters are in the public domain. I will speak to the leadership directly if needed. But I’m not going anywhere.”

The Congress MP had recently led a multi-party delegation abroad to counter Pakistan’s narrative after the deadly terror attack in Pahalgam that killed 26.

Kharge alams BJP over emergency narrative

Shifting his focus to the BJP, Kharge accused Prime Minister Modi of misusing the 50th anniversary of the Emergency to cover up his government’s failures. He said Modi was invoking a past that the nation had already moved beyond. “He is making an issue out of something that people have already forgotten.”

Kharge also criticised the BJP’s ideological base, alleging that RSS members had once burned photographs of Ambedkar, Nehru, and Gandhi at Ramlila Maidan in Delhi and had pushed to include elements of the Manusmriti in the Constitution.

The sharp political exchange highlights the ongoing internal tensions within Congress, especially around the role and statements of Shashi Tharoor.

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