'We made him a CWC member because....': Kharge's jibe at Shashi Tharoor

Mallikarjun Kharge

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Wednesday took a veiled dig at Shashi Tharoor saying that for the party, the nation comes first — but some say ‘Modi first and nation second.’

Addressing the press from the Congress Headquarters in Delhi, Kharge hinted that the party will not take any action against party MP Shashi Tharoor, who has been praising Prime Minister Narendra Modi and has become one of the leading faces of India’s diplomatic outreach following “Operation Sindoor".

“I don’t know how to read English; he has a very good command of English, which is why we made him a CWC member. The entire opposition said, ‘We are with our Army, our soldiers, and Operation Sindoor.’ For us, the nation comes first, but some say ‘Modi first and nation second’—so what can we do about that?"

The Congress president's remarks come amid the buzz over an article Tharoor wrote about India's outreach in the aftermath of Operation Sindoor. In the article published in The Hindu newspaper, he said Prime Minister Modi's energy, dynamism and willingness to engage remained a "prime asset" for India on the global stage but deserved greater backing.

When asked if the Congress will take any action against the Thiruvananthapuram MP, the party chief said, “People will write what they feel like, we don’t want to get involved in all that. We want unity for the nation, and we will keep fighting for the nation. There are nearly 34 CWC members and 30 special invitees, each with their views. What he is saying reflects his personal opinion. We are focused on saving the nation. If someone is concerned about something else, then you should ask him."

Several Congress leaders, including Pawan Khera and Udit Raj, have hit out at Tharoor after the Modi government picked him to lead one of the Operation Sindoor outreach teams. The Kerala MP also took a stand on the India-Pakistan ceasefire after Operation Sindoor and US mediation, which was outside the Congress party line, inviting criticism from his party colleagues.