Not switching party, says Shashi Tharoor as he faces heat for lauding PM Modi, Kerala govt

Under fire from within over his remarks praising Prime Minister Narendra Modi after his US visit and now the LDF government’s handling of Kerala’s economy, senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor said he has always expressed his views fearlessly when it came to the betterment of the country and Kerala.

“I don’t think like a politician. I have never had narrow political thoughts. I have never thought about political implications before commenting on something I am convinced about. This is the reason I sometimes laud the good initiatives of governments or parties that are rivals to the Congress,” said Tharoor while speaking to The Indian Express on Varthamanam, a weekly Malayalam language podcast.

Also read: ‘Encouraging, big concerns addressed’: Tharoor praises Modi-Trump meet in US

‘Not switching party’

The Thiruvananthapuram MP acknowledged that many people don’t like this while stating that “there is no space in our politics” for it.

“But I think that a majority of the people are not card-carrying party members. They have their own interests, leanings, but a majority of them are fair-minded people. They appreciate when a government does good things and criticise it for wrong steps. I have never seen a negative reaction to my remarks from the public. But it exists in the party. They ask me why you say good things about our rivals. Yes, they are our opponents, but when they do good things, we have to appreciate them,” he added.

Rejecting rumours that he was considering switching parties, Tharoor said he does not believe in changing a party if one does not agree with certain things in it. “I don’t think it will be the right thing to do. One has the freedom to be outside the party, stay as an independent.” However, he quickly added: “What I see in today’s politics is that everyone wants a party or organisation to back you.”

‘Ready to lead in Kerala’

Flagging the “absence of a leader” in the party’s Kerala unit, Tharoor also staked his claim to lead the Congress in the southern state, claiming opinion polls conducted by independent organisations have also shown that he was ahead of the others in leadership stakes in Kerala.

Also read: Kerala: Shashi Tharoor ruffles feathers with article; UDF leaders upset

“If the party wants to use that, I will be there for the party. If not, I have my own things to do. You should not think that I have no other option. I have my books, speeches, invitations from across the world to give a talk,” he added.

He pointed out that it was at the urging of senior Congress leaders, including Sonia Gandhi, Manmohan Singh and Kerala party leader Ramesh Chennithala, that he had left a “comfortable” life in the US following a stint in the United Nations to come back and join politics.

‘Need to expand appeal’

Tharoor said the Congress would be sitting in Opposition for the third consecutive time in Kerala, if the party did not try to expand its appeal. The southern state is all set to go to polls next year.

“Both at the national and the state level, the Congress cannot win only with its committed vote base. It’s a reality. If you look at the national level, the Congress vote was around 19%. Would we be fine with our own vote base? Only if we get 26-27% additional can we come to power. So, we need those who have not backed us in the last two elections,” he added.

Also read: After Tharoor praised Kerala’s entrepreneurial growth, DYFI invites him to startup festival

Talking about his own election, Tharoor said: “My appeal in Thiruvananthapuram is much more than what the party enjoys. People like the way I talk and behave. Even those who are generally against the Congress voted for me. That’s what we want in 2026.”

He added that others in the Congress share his views, and have told him so. “Even Congress allies in the UDF have told me so,” Tharoor said on the podcast. “It’s not my responsibility, but I have pointed this out. Several workers feel there is an absence of a leader in Kerala’s Congress.”