Congress MP Shashi Tharoor delivered a balanced reflection on India's first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru during his address at the fourth edition of the Kerala Legislative Assembly International Book Festival (KLIBF) on Thursday. Speaking in Thiruvananthapuram, Tharoor described Nehru as the founder of Indian democracy, crediting him with firmly establishing democratic institutions and values in the country after independence. He expressed deep admiration for Nehru’s intellectual outlook and contributions, while making it clear that his appreciation is far from uncritical.
Tharoor emphasized that he is “not an uncritical fan” of Nehru, acknowledging that he cannot endorse all of the former prime minister’s beliefs and policies without reservation. He pointed out that some criticisms of Nehru hold merit, notably in relation to the 1962 India-China war, where certain decisions by Nehru contributed to the military setback. However, he strongly objected to what he described as the current Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government’s tendency to blame Nehru for virtually every contemporary problem in India, irrespective of relevance or context.
The senior Congress leader accused the Modi government of using Nehru as a “convenient scapegoat,” transforming him into a symbol for political criticism. While Tharoor refrained from labeling the present administration as anti-democratic, he asserted that it is decidedly “anti-Nehru” in its approach. This pattern of selective blame, he argued, overlooks the broader historical context and Nehru’s foundational role in shaping modern India’s democratic framework.
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Beyond politics, Tharoor shared personal anecdotes about his lifelong engagement with reading and writing. He traced his love for books to childhood asthma, when, in the absence of television or mobile devices, literature became his primary companion. Reflecting on Kerala’s enduring reading culture, he noted that the state continues to stand out positively even as reading habits decline globally. He also recalled writing his satirical work The Great Indian Novel in 1989, when such a genre was rare in Indian literature, and advised younger readers to explore shorter books suited to today’s time constraints.
The session, which included Tharoor reciting lines from his earlier poem “How to Sleep at Night,” underscored his multifaceted identity as a politician, author, and lifelong reader. His remarks on Nehru, delivered in a nuanced and candid tone, highlighted the ongoing national debate over the legacy of India’s early leaders and the place of historical critique in contemporary politics.
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