PMO Shares Shashi Tharoor's Article Praising Modi, Fuels BJP Switch Speculation Yet Again

An opinion piece by Congress MP Shashi Tharoor for a major English news platform received an unexpected boost on social media after it was shared by the official handle of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's office on X.

The article, titled 'Lessons from Operation Sindoor's global outreach', was published on Monday morning by The Hindu.

Photo Credit: PTI

In it, Tharoor praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "energy, dynamism and willingness to engage (with other nations)" and called for greater support for the Prime Minister.

The caption accompanying the PMO's post was straightforward: "Lok Sabha MP and former Union Minister Dr Shashi Tharoor writes - Lessons from Operation Sindoor's global outreach".

However, the PMO's decision to share the article raised eyebrows, fuelling ongoing speculation of a possible high-profile - perhaps the most crucial in recent years - defection from the Congress to the BJP.

This speculation has largely been stoked by criticism from some within the Congress' Kerala unit, who have taken issue with what they perceive as Tharoor's favourable comments about Prime Minister Modi.

The tension resurfaced last week as well, when the four-time Thiruvananthapuram MP did not participate in campaigning for his party during the Nilambur Assembly by-election, which the Congress ultimately won.

Among the comments that have unsettled the party are remarks Tharoor made in Panama last month, where he praised the Prime Minister's handling of terror attacks.

His reference to the Modi government's 2016 surgical strikes, carried out in response to the Uri terror attack, prompted a sharp reaction from the Congress. The party reminded Tharoor of similar military operations that took place under the UPA government, in what was seen as a clear 'CC' moment.

Panama was one of five countries - along with the United States and Brazil - to which Tharoor led a government delegation in the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack and Operation Sindoor.

Even Tharoor's appointment to head that delegation was met with internal backlash, with some Congress members dubbing him a "super spokesperson" for what they called the BJP's "publicity stunts".

He was also accused of "flattering Prime Minister Modi".

All of this has contributed to ongoing speculation about a potential high-profile shift to the BJP. However, Tharoor has consistently denied any such intention.

In an interview with NDTV, he once again dismissed talk of any rift, describing the issues as "differences of opinion... with only some elements of leadership".

When asked how he would describe his relationship with the Congress at present, Tharoor responded by noting that he had remained loyal to the party and its ideology for 16 years.

He also emphasised that although he had joined a cross-party delegation formed by the government, he remained a member of the opposition, and that his focus was solely on representing India on the global stage and conveying the country's stance on terrorism to the international community.

Tharoor has also recently held discussions with senior Congress leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, regarding his future within the party, although no definitive outcomes have been announced.