Lagatar24 Desk
New Delhi: Congress MP Shashi Tharoor has found himself at the centre of fresh controversy within his own party after penning an article on the Emergency, describing the period’s excesses as having been “downplayed.” The piece has prompted a veiled swipe from his party colleague, Manickam Tagore, who indirectly accused Tharoor of echoing BJP narratives.
Congress Whip Hints at Tharoor Echoing BJP Lines
Tharoor, the Lok Sabha MP from Thiruvananthapuram, published his views in Project Syndicate, sharply criticising certain actions during the Emergency, including the forced sterilisation campaigns spearheaded by Sanjay Gandhi and the widespread demolition of slums. His article described how “unchecked power had become tyrannical,” warning that any semblance of order during the Emergency came at the price of the republic’s soul.
The article raised eyebrows within the Congress, particularly given the BJP’s use of the Emergency as a political weapon against the party. Manickam Tagore, the Congress whip in the Lok Sabha, fired a cryptic shot on social media without naming Tharoor directly. “When a Colleague starts repeating BJP lines word for word, you begin to wonder — is the Bird becoming a parrot?” Tagore posted on X, adding, “Mimicry is cute in birds, not in politics.”
Tharoor’s Recent Stance Fuels Internal Tensions
The episode adds to speculation about Tharoor’s political leanings, especially after he publicly supported Operation Sindoor — India’s military response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack — and praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Tharoor also led a diplomatic outreach to five countries, including the US, to assert India’s zero-tolerance approach to terrorism, a move that drew praise from BJP leaders but was viewed by some Congress insiders as a deviation from party lines.
In his article, Tharoor minced no words about the period of Emergency. “The quest for ‘discipline’ and ‘order’ often translated into unspeakable cruelty,” he wrote, citing forced vasectomies and slum demolitions that displaced thousands. “These acts were later downplayed as unfortunate excesses… But the violence was a direct consequence of a system where unchecked power had become tyrannical.”
The controversy underscores the delicate balance the Congress faces in addressing its historical legacy, especially as the BJP continues to mark June 25 — the day the Emergency was imposed — as ‘Samvidhan Hatya Divas’ to highlight what it calls the darkest chapter in India’s democratic history.
