Senior Congress MP Shashi Tharoor sparked internal discord on Saturday by publicly praising BJP stalwart L.K. Advani on his 98th birthday, hailing the veteran leader’s “unwavering commitment to public service” and comparing his parliamentary longevity to Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi. In a post on X, Tharoor wrote that Advani’s “modesty & decency” and role in shaping modern India were “indelible”, prompting sharp criticism from within the party and swift distancing by the Congress high command. The remark reignited memories of Advani’s central role in the 1990 Ram Janmabhoomi movement that culminated in the 1992 Babri Masjid demolition.

The Congress leadership moved quickly to contain the fallout, with party general secretary Jairam Ramesh declaring that the organisation “outrightly dissociates” itself from Tharoor’s views. Ramesh emphasised that Advani, as the face of the rath yatra, bore direct responsibility for the events leading to the mosque’s destruction and subsequent communal violence. Several state units and youth-wing leaders echoed the rebuke, accusing Tharoor of diluting the party’s ideological stance ahead of crucial Assembly polls.

Tharoor defended his gesture as a personal courtesy rooted in parliamentary tradition, insisting that recognising Advani’s decades of public service did not imply endorsement of his politics. The Thiruvananthapuram MP pointed out that he had extended similar birthday wishes to other ideological opposites in the past. However, the episode marks yet another instance of the three-time MP’s independent commentary clashing with official party positions.

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As Advani—confined to home since 2024 due to health concerns—celebrated a quiet birthday, the controversy underscored persistent bitterness over the Babri chapter. With Congress aggressively projecting itself as the defender of constitutional secularism, Tharoor’s olive branch has handed the BJP fresh ammunition to question the opposition’s consistency, even as the grand old party scrambles to maintain message discipline in an election season.

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