The Congress on Sunday distanced itself from MP Shashi Tharoor’s recent remarks praising senior BJP leader Lal Krishna Advani. Party leader Pawan Kheda said Tharoor’s views were personal and did not represent the party.
In a post shared on Twitter, Congress leader Pawan Kheda wrote, “As always, Dr. Shashi Tharoor speaks his mind and the Indian National Congress completely disassociates itself from his recent statement. His statement as a Congress MP and CWC member reflects the typical democratic and liberal spirit of the Congress.”
Congress leader Khera’s statement came at a time when Tharoor had wished the former Deputy Prime Minister on his 98th birth anniversary on November 8, praising his “unwavering commitment to public service, humility and his role in shaping the direction of modern India”.
Tharoor wrote on the
However, there were some objections to Tharoor’s wish, with people saying that the Congress MP was hiding the real history of the BJP leader.
Sanjay Hegde, a Supreme Court lawyer, criticized Tharoor, saying that Advani’s “sowing of hatred” cannot be termed as “public service”, citing the Ram Rath Yatra taken out in 1990.
His post read, “Sorry Mr. Tharoor, spreading the seeds of hatred in this country (in the words of Kushwant Singh) is not public service.”
This was followed by a discussion between the Congress MP and advocate Hegde, in which Tharoor defended the legacy of one of the BJP’s founders and compared the legacy of former prime ministers Indira Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru.
Tharoor wrote on
He wrote, “Nehruji’s entire career cannot be judged by China’s failure, nor can Indira Gandhi’s career be judged by the Emergency alone. I believe we should show the same courtesy to Advaniji.”