The rift between senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor and the party’s top brass is becoming increasingly visible, with sharp exchanges through cryptic social media posts and pointed counter-attacks.
A day after Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge appeared to take a veiled swipe at Tharoor, suggesting that "For some people, it's Modi first," the Thiruvananthapuram MP took to social media with a telling post. Sharing a photo of a bird in flight, Tharoor wrote, "Don’t ask permission to fly. The wings are yours, and the sky belongs to no one." The post was widely seen as a response to criticism from within his own party.
Congress MP Manickam Tagore swiftly counter-fired with his own bird-themed caution. "Don’t ask permission to fly. Birds don’t need clearance to rise. But today, even a free bird must watch the skies—hawks, vultures, and ‘eagles’ are always hunting," he wrote, warning that freedom is not free, especially when "predators wear patriotism as feathers".
Tagore’s post also featured images of predatory birds, a clear symbolic jab in the ongoing tussle.
The tensions have been brewing since Tharoor was picked by the government to lead an all-party delegation abroad as part of India’s diplomatic push following the Pahalgam terror attack.
Tharoor’s repeated praise for the Modi government’s handling of the situation, especially Operation Sindoor, has not gone down well with Congress. His public remarks, including a recent newspaper column where he described Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s "energy, dynamism and willingness to engage" as a "prime asset for India", only deepened the unease within the party.
The Congress leadership, which had initially backed the Centre’s post-attack response, later questioned aspects of the ceasefire agreement and the extent of American involvement, taking a sharper stance against the government.
Tharoor, however, remained supportive of India’s outreach and the counter-terror operation, which some in the party viewed as tacit approval of the Modi government’s narrative.
The situation escalated when Kharge, in one of his strongest public remarks against Tharoor, questioned his loyalties without naming him.
"For us, it’s the country first, but for some people, it’s Modi first," Kharge said, adding that while the party valued Tharoor’s command over the English language, it was increasingly at odds with his political messaging.
Speculation over Tharoor’s possible shift to the BJP gained momentum after these developments, though the Congress MP has repeatedly dismissed such talk, insisting that his praise for Operation Sindoor was a statement of national unity, not a signal of political realignment.