Senior Congress MP Shashi Tharoor has triggered a fierce internal backlash after describing Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Ramnath Goenka Lecture as an inspiring economic outlook and cultural call to action. The Thiruvananthapuram lawmaker, who attended the event despite illness, posted on social media that the address reflected India’s “constructive impatience” for development and urged a post-colonial mindset, drawing immediate condemnation from party colleagues.

Congress leader Sandeep Dikshit launched a scathing attack, questioning Tharoor’s continued membership in the party. “If you believe BJP and Modi’s strategies are working better than Congress policies, then why are you in Congress at all?” Dikshit asked, adding that persisting without explanation would make Tharoor appear hypocritical. The son of former Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit insisted that genuine admiration for the ruling party’s approach demanded either alignment with it or a public justification.

Party spokesperson Supriya Shrinate echoed the criticism, stating she found nothing praiseworthy in the Prime Minister’s speech, which she described as petty and obsessively focused on attacking Congress. Shrinate argued that Modi should have addressed his discomfort with independent journalism instead of delivering partisan remarks at a media event, reinforcing the view that Tharoor’s positive reaction was incomprehensible within the party’s current stance.

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The controversy centres on Modi’s lecture, where he credited development-focused governance for recent electoral successes while accusing Congress of harbouring forces sympathetic to Naxalism and Maoist terrorism. Tharoor’s decision to highlight the speech’s broader vision rather than its political barbs has intensified perceptions that his views frequently diverge from the official Congress line.

This is not the first time Tharoor has invited intra-party criticism for comments perceived as favourable toward the Prime Minister or critical of dynastic politics across the spectrum. With Congress still reeling from successive electoral setbacks, the episode has exposed deepening fault lines over ideological consistency and public messaging as the party seeks to rebuild its opposition credentials.

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