Kerala BJP sees Shashi Tharoor’s remark on Russia-Ukraine as ‘praise’ for PM Modi’s diplomacy

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor (file)
| Photo Credit: PTI

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Kerala has interpreted Congress Working Committee (CWC) member Shashi Tharoor’s latest comment that India was uniquely placed to broker peace between Russia and Ukraine as praise for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “diplomatic acumen”.

In a post on X that appeared to stir the pot, BJP Kerala State president K. Surendran noted: “Dear @ShashiTharoor ji , I’ve always admired your candour. Your honesty in saying ‘I opposed it initially‘ and now praising Modiplomacy’s success on Russia-Ukraine is commendable. Unlike your @INCIndia peers, you see India’s global rise under PM @narendramodi ji, truly a refreshing take”.

Later, speaking to The Hindu, Mr. Surendran said Mr. Tharoor’s statement belied Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s position that India was a declining country with no voice in the comity of nations. “It is anybody’s guess how the Congress’ royal family will react to Mr. Tharoor’s truth-telling,” he added.

Mr. Tharoor told reporters in New Delhi that in February 2022, he had criticised the Central government for not taking a stance on the United Nations (UN) charter that guarantees the sovereignty of States regarding the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

However, with hindsight, Mr. Tharoor said, he realised that India, with its unshaken ties to both nations, could proactively play the role of a peacemaker. 

Mr. Tharoor said he was speaking as an Indian citizen at an international conference in New Delhi on Tuesday. At the meeting, Mr. Tharoor noted that India’s Prime Minister could visit Russia and Ukraine in two weeks and “hug“ their presidents. He said the unique bonhomie between the three nations placed India in a distinctive position to make “ever-lasting peace”. 

Mr. Tharoor said it was incorrect to read any political meaning into his candid observation “as an Indian”. 

Congress response

Kerala’s Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan told reporters in Thiruvananthapuram that he was “unaware” of Mr. Tharoor’s comment. 

Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president K. Sudhakaran struck a similar line in New Delhi. 

A senior Congress leader told The Hindu that Mr. Tharoor, as a member of the CWC, the party’s apex policy-making body, should ideally not deviate from the All India Congress Committee’s (AICC) official line lest it would advantage the party’s detractors, chiefly the BJP. 

However, he said, the AICC has “counselled” leaders from the party’s State unit to desist from public statements that would provide sensational political grist for opponents, sow confusion among the rank and file and undermine the party’s unity of purpose during the crucial pre-Assembly elections period. 

Mr. Tharoor recently courted trouble with his party’s leadership by writing an opinion piece praising the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government’s industrial policy in Kerala. 

Mr. Tharoor later claimed that a politically sensational interview, which portrayed the four-time MP from Thiruvananthapuram as a serious contender for the Chief Ministership if the UDF came to power in the 2026 elections, was manipulated to put a spin on the news copy. Subsequently, the publication apologised to Mr. Tharoor for the “misreporting”.