Shashi Tharoor slams Opposition over Parliament disruptions

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, whose relationship with his own party has come under public scrutiny on several occasions of late, has hit out at the Opposition over repeated disruptions in Parliament that have been witnessed once again during the ongoing Winter Session that kicked off on Monday (December 1).

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The four-time parliamentarian from Thiruvananthapuram and a former central minister, told the media in Malayalam in New Delhi on Friday (December 5) that he has been speaking on the Opposition’s conduct in Parliament from the start.

He said leaders of the Congress, including Sonia Gandhi, are aware of it too. The veteran leader, who once contested the Congress’s presidential contest but lost and has reportedly seen a gap widening between him and the party in recent times, said he has been elected by the people to represent them in Parliament and not to shout and create a ruckus.

'INDIA bloc has adopted the same...'

It may be mentioned here that Tharoor penned an article in The Indian Express on the matter on Thursday (December 4), saying: “The tactics of disruption have become institutionalised, with each side citing precedent to justify its conduct. During the decade of UPA rule, the BJP disrupted Parliament with impunity, losing 68 per cent of the 15th Lok Sabha’s time to protest. Now, in Opposition, the INDIA bloc has adopted the same playbook, arguing that the government’s refusal to consult or debate justifies obstruction. The Golden Rule taught in missionary schools — “do unto others as you would have them do unto you” — has been replaced in Indian politics by a new maxim: “Do unto them what they did unto you.”

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He added, “The diminishing role of Parliament in our political life is deeply damaging to our democracy. This is not just a procedural concern; it is a constitutional crisis in slow motion. Parliament is meant to be the crucible of democratic debate, the arena where laws are scrutinised, policies contested, and the executive held to account. When it is reduced to a theatre of disruption or a rubber stamp for executive fiat, the very idea of representative democracy is imperilled.”

The latest session of Parliament so an explosive beginning as Prime Minister Narendra Modi accused the Opposition of doing drama on the floor, triggering a vigorous response from the Congress, the principal Opposition party, which counter-accused him as the “biggest dramabaaz”.

There was little difference on the ground as the first two days of the session saw several disruptions in both Houses of Parliament, including over the Opposition seeking talks on the controversial Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls, which is currently underway in many states and Union Territories of the country.

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The Congress is expected to come up with a rebuttal to Tharoor’s words, as he has been accused of showing a pro-Bharatiya Janata Party line by many. The parliamentarian has, in the recent past, courted one controversy after another with actions that did not amuse his party, including praising the prime minister. He was absent from a key meeting of the party on November 30

Tharoor's 'growing gap' with Congress

Tharoor has in the past courted controversy over actions that could well be interpreted as taking on his party colleagues, including with praises for the prime minister. Giving party meetings a miss one after another is believed to have widened the gap between him and the senior leaders despite frantic attempts to firefight a prolonged crisis. He later downplayed the speculations, stating that he was in Kerala with his elderly mother, which is why he couldn't attend the party meetings in Delhi.

Earlier this year, the Modi government also made Tharoor part of delegations of parliamentarians for a global diplomatic outreach programme after Operation Sindoor against Pakistan.