Happy Birthday Advani ji .... even at this age .... His name and career and Rath Yatra can trigger Controversy ::: Over to Shashi Tharoor and his Congress party

 “Reducing his long years of service to one episode, however significant, is unfair. Just as Nehruji’s career cannot be defined solely by the China setback, nor Indira Gandhi’s only by the Emergency, the same fairness should be shown to Advaniji,” 

-- Shashi Tharoor wrote on X. 

But the Congress party had problems with mortals like Advani being compared to 'immortals' Indira Gandhi and Nehru. 

“Like always, Dr Shashi Tharoor speaks for himself and the Indian National Congress outrightly dissociates itself from his most recent statement,” said Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera.  

“That he (Tharoor) continues to do so as a Congress MP and CWC member reflects the essential democratic and liberal spirit unique to the INC,” Khera said. The remarks came soon after Tharoor wished Advani on his 98th birthday, describing him as a “true statesman” and praising his “unwavering commitment to public service, modesty and decency”.   

Tharoor, who is known for his candid opinions, as expected has drawn the Congress's sharp reactions.

The former Deputy Prime Minister’s political legacy remains in controversy no doubt. 

The 1990 Rath Yatra by Advani had brought down  V P Singh government and later was widely linked to the Babri Masjid demolition on Dec 6, 1992.  

Supreme Court advocate Sanjay Hegde was among those who questioned Tharoor’s assessment, saying, “Unleashing the ‘dragon seeds of hatred’ in this country is NOT public service.”

Responding to Tharoor’s comparison between Advani and former Prime Ministers Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi, Hegde wrote that “the Rath Yatra was not an episode” but “a long march to reverse the foundational principles of the Indian Republic.”

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This is not the first time Shashi Tharoor’s statements have put him at odds with the Congress leadership. 

The Thiruvananthapuram MP has repeatedly sparked internal discomfort with his independent positions on political and policy issues including his applauding of the Operation Sindoor. Advani’s 1990 Rath Yatra, which began from Somnath and was stopped in Bihar by then Chief Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav's government.

That episode was a mega turning point in Indian politics. In subsequent Lok Sabha polls, Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated by LTTE.

It is seen as setting the stage for the communal tensions that culminated in the Babri Masjid demolition in December 1992. There were Mumbai riots after that. 

Earlier this year, Tharoor’s praise for Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his public endorsements of certain government initiatives prompted strong reactions from within his party. In July, Kerala Congress leader K Muraleedharan declared that Tharoor was “no longer one of us,” adding that he would not be invited to party events in Thiruvananthapuram “till he changes his stance.”

Tharoor had responded that his “first loyalty is to the nation,” saying, “Parties are a means of making the nation better.” The remark came soon after he accepted the Centre’s invitation to lead an all-party delegation for Operation Sindoor, drawing criticism from some Congress quarters.

Even Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge appeared to take a veiled swipe at him at the time, saying, “For the Congress, it is country first, but for some people, it is Modi first.”

Tharoor had contested for AICC presidentship but the 'first family' of the party had first tried to field Ashok Gehlot and the then Rajasthan chief minister declined to oblige the central high command; Rahul's nominee was Malikarjun Kharge.

Analysts and several party leaders including in north east - and also a few former tribal chief ministers in that region - feel Tharoor would have been a much better AICC president and could have taken the battle to the Modi camp. 

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