Congress MP Shashi Tharoor has yet again irked his party, this time by defending veteran BJP leader L K Advani and comparing him to former prime ministers Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi.
It started with Tharoor mentioning Advani's "unwavering commitment to public service" in a birthday wish posted on X on Saturday.
"Wishing the venerable Shri L.K.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," Tharoor wrote on X.
Responding to Tharoor, eminent lawyer Sanjay Hegde alluded to Advani's role in spearheading the Ram Janmabhoomi movement that led to the violent demolition of the Babri Masjid and communal riots across the country.
"Sorry Mr Tharoor, unleashing the 'dragon seeds of hatred' (to quote Kushwant Singh) in this country is NOT public service," he wrote in a post on X.
Replying to the post, Tharoor said, "Agreed, @sanjayuvacha, but reducing his long years of service to one episode, however significant, is also unfair."
"The totality of Nehruji's career cannot be judged by the China setback, nor Indira Gandhi's by the Emergency alone. I believe we should extend the same courtesy to Advaniji," he added.
Congress said it "outrightly dissociates" from the Thiruvananthapuram MP's remarks but added that it reflected the "democratic and liberal spirit" within the party.
"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," said Congress' media and publicity department head Pawan Khera.