New delhi, Nov 9
The Congress party has “outrightly dissociated” itself from its Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor’s remarks defending BJP veteran LK Advani for his 1990 rath yatra, stating that the leader speaks for himself.
“Like always, Dr. Shashi Tharoor speaks for himself, and the Indian National Congress outrightly dissociates itself from his most recent statement,” said Pawan Khera, Chairman of the Media & Publicity Department of the Indian National Congress (INC).
Khera further noted that Tharoor expressing such views despite being a Congress MP and member of the Congress Working Committee (CWC) “reflects the essential democratic and liberal spirit unique to the INC.”
The Congress response came after Tharoor, while wishing Advani on his 98th birthday, praised his “unwavering commitment to public service, modesty and decency, and his role in shaping the trajectory of modern India,” calling him a “true statesman” whose life of service has been exemplary.
Senior lawyer Sanjay Hegde objected to Tharoor’s post, saying, “Sorry, Mr. Tharoor, unleashing the ‘dragon seeds of hatred’ (to quote Khushwant Singh) in this country is not public service.” Responding to Hegde, Tharoor defended Advani, saying the BJP veteran should not be judged by a single episode, citing the examples of Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi.
“The totality of Nehruji’s career cannot be judged by the China setback, nor Indira Gandhi’s by the Emergency alone. I believe we should extend the same courtesy to Advaniji,” Tharoor said.
