KOCHI/THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: On the back foot over MP Shashi Tharoor’s blistering article on the Emergency and the Nehru-Gandhi legacy, Congress leaders in Kerala have sought to distance themselves from the controversy, choosing instead to put the ball firmly in the court of the party’s central leadership.
In the sharply worded article, which appeared on some news websites, Tharoor termed the 21-month Emergency (1975–77) a “dark period” in India’s democratic history and accused former prime minister Indira Gandhi of authoritarian overreach. He went further, calling out her son Sanjay Gandhi for “terrible atrocities” such as forced sterilisation and the use of violence in rural areas. Tharoor wrote that the period “severely tested the fundamental guarantees of equality, liberty, and fraternity” and left a lasting scar on Indian politics.
Leader of Opposition V D Satheesan acknowledged that he had read the article and hinted at his disapproval. However, Satheesan made it clear that he would not publicly comment on the matter. “He (Tharoor) is a Congress Working Committee member. So, it’s up to the central leadership to comment. I have my opinion about the article, and if I have any concerns, I will raise them directly with the high command,” he said in Kochi.
UDF convenor and senior leader Adoor Prakash echoed this line, calling on senior leaders to show restraint. “He is a senior AICC Working Committee member. It’s for the AICC to respond. Leaders must act within the party’s framework and be mindful of their responsibilities,” he said.
It’s for central leadership to comment, says Sunny Joseph
Former MP K Muraleedharan offered a blunt but non-committal response: “He should think about which party he belongs to. I am not interested in such controversies. Our focus remains on Kerala.”
When asked about the issue, state Congress president Sunny Joseph simply said: “It’s for the central leadership to comment,” and declined to go further.
This is not the first time that Tharoor is putting the Congress party in a spot of bother with his remarks that diverged from the party line.
His praise for Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his comments during an address to the Indian-American community in New York where he endorsed India’s military response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack stirred controversy within the Congress.
Though the Kerala unit is avoiding a direct clash, sources said Tharoor’s unfiltered commentary has unsettled the party’s rank and file in the state, and it is now up to the AICC to decide whether to allow such public deviations or call him to account.