Shashi Tharoor Praises PM Modi's Vision for Post-Colonial India, Sparking Congress Controversy

New Delhi:

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor sparked another controversy with his party leadership Tuesday after offering praise for Prime Minister Narendra Modi. In a social media post on X, the Thiruvananthapuram representative shared that he had attended a private event in Delhi where the Prime Minister delivered remarks on "India's constructive impatience for development" and advocated strongly for developing a post-colonial mindset.

According to Tharoor, the Prime Minister emphasized that "India is no longer just an 'emerging market' but an 'emerging model' for the world." Modi noted that the global community had recognized India's economic resilience in weathering global challenges like the pandemic while navigating through the conflict in Ukraine.

Tharoor recounted that "PM Modi said he had been accused of being in 'election mode' all the time... but he was really in an 'emotional mode' to redress the problems of the people." The Prime Minister's address focused significantly on colonialism's impact on India's educational system.

A substantial portion of Modi's speech was dedicated to "overturning Macaulay's 200-year legacy of 'slave mentality' (i.e., a colonial mindset)," Tharoor noted. The Prime Minister called for a decade-long national mission to restore pride in India's heritage, languages, and traditional knowledge systems.

Tharoor concluded his observations by stating, "On the whole, the address served as an economic outlook and a cultural call to action, urging the nation to be restless for progress. Glad to have been in the audience..."

Photos from the event showed Tharoor seated comfortably with BJP leader and former Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad on his left and former Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad on his right.

In his speech, the Prime Minister referenced Thomas Babington Macaulay, a 19th century British parliamentarian who arrived in India in 1834 and is credited with implementing the Western education system, including making English the primary language of instruction in schools across the country.

"In India's traditional education system, we were taught to take pride in our culture. Our education emphasised skill along with learning. That is why Macaulay decided to break the backbone of India's education system... and he succeeded," Modi stated.

The Prime Minister added, "Macaulay ensured that the British language and British thinking received greater recognition during that period, and India paid the price for it for centuries to come." Modi declared that the British politician "broke our self-confidence and filled us with a sense of inferiority."

Tharoor's complimentary remarks about the Prime Minister's address will likely face criticism from fellow Congress leaders, particularly since this isn't the first instance where he has spoken favorably of Modi.

Relations between the four-term MP and the Congress party have significantly deteriorated in recent months, particularly since his selection as an opposition representative in government delegations sent to allied nations following the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack.

Tharoor led the delegation to the United States and four other countries, returning to India for a debriefing with a cordial Prime Minister, fueling speculation about a potential party switch.

Additional tension arose over the Prime Minister's "energy, dynamism and willingness to engage (with other countries) post-Operation Sindoor," mentioned in an article shared by the Prime Minister's office that described Modi as a "prime asset" for India.

Tharoor's comments praising the Prime Minister's crisis management provoked sharp reactions from Congress leadership, generating speculation about a major split and further talk about a possible move to the Bharatiya Janata Party. However, Tharoor has firmly denied such possibilities.

In June, he clarified, "It (praise for the Prime Minister) is not a sign of my leaping to join his party... as some people have, unfortunately, been implying. It is a statement of national unity..."

When questioned by NDTV about his current relationship with Congress, he emphasized his 16-year loyalty to both the party and its ideology.

Even before these recent incidents, Tharoor and Congress appeared to have an uneasy relationship. He was part of the 'G-23' group of party leaders who expressed dissatisfaction with the Gandhi family's leadership approach and called for comprehensive changes. He even contested for the position of party president.

Earlier this month, Tharoor published an article critiquing dynastic politics in India, titled 'Indian Politics Are a Family Business,' which examined family-dominated political parties including Congress, Samajwadi Party, DMK, Trinamool Congress, and the National Conference.