‘Speaks for himself,’ says Congress after Shashi Tharoor lauded LK Advani’s ‘unwavering commitment to public service’

The Congress party has distanced itself from its Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor’s remarks on veteran BJP leader LK Advani on his birthday. The party said it distances itself from Tharoor’s remarks, which also saw a fair share of arguments. 

Wishing Advani, widely known for his role in the Ram Janmabhoomi movement, Tharoor said, “Wishing the venerable Shri LK Advani a very happy 98th birthday! His unwavering commitment to public service, his modesty & decency, and his role in shaping the trajectory of modern India are indelible," describing Advani as a true statesman whose life of service has been exemplary.

In response, Supreme Court advocate Sanjay Hegde, said, "Sorry Mr Tharoor, unleashing the 'dragon seeds of hatred' (to quote Kushwant Singh) in this country is NOT public service.” To this, Tharoor said that reducing Advani’s “long years of service to one episode, however significant, is also unfair." He argued that the totality of Jawaharlal Nehru’s career cannot be judged by the China setback and neither can Indira Gandhi’s by the Emergency. He said the same courtesy should be extended to Advani.

Hegde argued that the “Rath Yatra was not an episode” but “a long march to reverse the foundational principles of the Indian Republic.”

Congress' media and publicity department head Pawan Khera responded to the episode and said, “Like always, Dr. Shashi Tharoor speaks for himself and the Indian National Congress outrightly dissociates itself from his most recent statement. That he continues to do so as a Congress MP and CWC member reflects the essential democratic and liberal spirit unique to INC.”

LK Advani, a controversial figure in India politics, known for scripting BJP’s rise as a formidable force and spearheading the Ram Janmabhoomi movement by embarking on an epochal Rath Yatra in 1990, was awarded the Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian honour, this year. The Rath Yatra is widely seen as the setting of stage for the communal tensions that culminated in the Babri Masjid demolition in December 1992.