Shashi Tharoor Planning To Quit Congress? Sparks Controversy After Criticising Emergency

Shashi Tharoor’s recent criticism of the Emergency era has sparked fresh tensions within the Congress party. In an article for Malayalam daily Deepika, Tharoor described the 1975 Emergency imposed by Indira Gandhi as a dark chapter and pointed out the “cruelty” inflicted on the poor, especially due to the forced sterilisation drives led by Sanjay Gandhi.

His comments drew immediate responses from fellow Congress leaders, with MP Manickam Tagore posting on X: “When a colleague starts repeating BJP lines word for word, you begin to wonder  Is the bird becoming a parrot?”

Kerala Congress Leaders Ask Tharoor to Clarify His Political Stand

Following Tharoor’s critical article, senior Congress leader K Muraleedharan from Kerala publicly questioned Tharoor’s allegiance to the party. Muraleedharan said, “He should first decide which party he belongs to,” after Tharoor shared a private survey suggesting he was the most popular candidate for the Chief Minister’s post in Kerala. The state is scheduled to go to polls in 2026. The controversy comes amid long-standing friction between Tharoor and state Congress leaders, who have criticised his independent public positions on key issues.

BJP Links Tharoor’s Comments to Rahul Gandhi’s Bihar Protest

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) seized the opportunity to criticise the Congress, alleging the party still harbours the same mindset that led to the Emergency. BJP national spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi said Rahul Gandhi’s recent protest in Bihar against the Election Commission’s Special Revision of electoral rolls echoed the same anti-democratic tendencies. Trivedi said, “Even after 50 years, a Congress leader realises the excesses of the Emergency, yet the party shamelessly supports the mindset behind it.”

Tharoor Highlights Sanjay Gandhi’s Role in Emergency Abuses

In his opinion piece, Tharoor wrote about the authoritarian methods used during the Emergency, particularly the sterilisation campaigns. “The forced vasectomy campaigns led by Gandhi’s son, Sanjay, and concentrated in poorer and rural areas, where coercion and violence were used to meet arbitrary targets,” Tharoor noted. While Congress leaders including Rahul Gandhi have previously acknowledged the Emergency as a mistake, Tharoor’s comments revived internal criticism, with some accusing him of echoing BJP rhetoric.

Congress’ Unease With Tharoor’s Public Stances Continues

Tharoor has repeatedly found himself at odds with the Congress high command. His admiration for PM Modi’s foreign policy and his relatively softer stance on the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) have drawn criticism. The party’s discomfort increased when Tharoor was invited by the BJP-led government to represent India on diplomatic delegations during Operation Sindoor, bypassing Congress’ nominations. Tharoor, a former external affairs minister under Manmohan Singh, had also contested the Congress presidential election in 2022 but lost to Mallikarjun Kharge, the Gandhi family-backed candidate.

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