Doubt Whether BJP Can Even Cross 200 Seats, Says Shashi Tharoor

Congress leader Shashi Tharoor cast aspersions on the ruling BJP's ability to "win even 200 seats" in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, citing underperformance of the saffron party's allies. He criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi's earlier goals of winning 400 and 300 seats as unrealistic fantasies.

"400 paar slogan was a fantasy when PM Modi first said it. 300 paar is clearly impossible. I am wondering about 200 paar, whether they can get or not, as their allies are performing very poorly," Tharoor told ANI.

Tharoor highlighted the importance of reaching a consensus on the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) and pointed out the lack of a draft law on the issue. He called for thorough discussions in Parliament with input from all stakeholders.

"If consensus is there, we don't have any problems, but the problem is, what are you proposing in UCC? There is no draft law. Let them bring a draft law to Parliament. Let it be discussed in the standing committee in detail. Let there be an open discussion in Parliament with all stakeholders," he said.

Tharoor expressed confidence that the Congress party and its allies would secure more than 272 seats, enabling them to form the government. He detailed plans to fulfill their campaign promises, including filling government job vacancies, implementing an apprenticeship scheme called 'Pahli Naukri Pakki,' and enhancing the connection between academic institutions and the industrial sector.

Addressing Modi's varying narratives, Tharoor criticised the contradictions in PM's statements about the Muslim community and his identity. Tharoor questioned Modi's claims about his origin, suggesting that it could affect his eligibility to hold public office.

Tharoor defended the Congress' stance on minority rights against Modi's accusations that the party opposes minorities. He reaffirmed that the Congress and the INDIA bloc support inclusive politics. Responding to Union Minister Anurag Thakur's criticism of Priyanka Gandhi staying silent on women's issues, Tharoor emphasised her active role in advocating for women's rights and criticized the BJP's record on addressing violence against women.

"Priyanka Gandhi has been active. You can see going back to Nirbhaya tragedy, all the other things that had happened, she had been a strong voice. I don't think the BJP has much to say or stand up that they claim to be better at coming up with slogans than us, but they are much worse at actually putting them into action, as we have demonstrated. Let's look at the Beti Bachao slogan, where do they stand on this? I would like to hear from them about their achievements in addressing violence against women and the misogynistic behavior of their leaders. This party does not have a good track record when it comes to women's rights in our country," he asserted.