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Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, India – July 22, 2025
Another sweltering July day in Meerut, and the political mercury in the Indian National Congress is hotter than the pavements. The grand old party, once the undisputed titan of Indian politics, now resembles a crumbling haveli, its once-stately rooms echoing with internal squabbles and the ghostly whispers of past glories. And at the heart of this simmering discontent, a figure stands isolated, a man too intellectual, perhaps too principled, for the murky waters he swims in: Shashi Tharoor.
For 35 years, I’ve watched governments rise and fall, witnessed the theatrical pronouncements and the cynical machinations of those who claim to represent us. The common man, forgotten in manifestos and dismissed in debates, knows that the real story is often far removed from the headlines. Today, that story is of the Congress party’s self-inflicted wounds, a tale best exemplified by the curious case of Shashi Tharoor.
Tharoor, a man of impeccable credentials and a global outlook, finds himself increasingly cornered within his own party. The latest flashpoint, “Operation Sindoor,” India’s decisive counter-terrorism strikes against Pakistan following the horrific Pahalgam attack, has laid bare the deep fissures. While the nation largely applauded the government’s firm stance – a rare moment of bipartisan consensus on national security – Tharoor’s unwavering support for the operation has become a stick with which to beat him.
“Nation first,” he declared, echoing a sentiment that resonates deeply with the ordinary Indian tired of endless cross-border provocations. He even led a delegation abroad, at the Modi government’s behest, to explain India’s position – a move that should have been lauded as mature statesmanship, yet it became a weapon for his detractors within the Congress. Senior leaders in Kerala, his home state, have openly declared they will “not cooperate” with him, accusing him of being “pro-Modi.” Muraleedharan, a prominent state leader, went so far as to say Tharoor is “not one of us anymore.”
It’s a bewildering spectacle for the common folk. Here is a man advocating for national security, for a unified front against terrorism, and his own party leadership recoils. What message does this send? That party loyalty trumps national interest? That criticising the ruling party, even when its actions align with the nation’s well-being, is paramount? It exposes a deep-seated insecurity within the Congress, an inability to differentiate between legitimate opposition and petty partisanship.
This isn’t an isolated incident for Tharoor. His candid, often contrarian, views have long ruffled feathers within the high command. Remember his praise for Prime Minister Modi’s diplomatic efforts? Or his recent, undeniably true, criticism of Indira Gandhi’s Emergency and Sanjay Gandhi’s role in it? Each time, the party machinery, seemingly allergic to independent thought and self-reflection, has lashed out. He is accused of “attacking the Congress” and “passing on party meeting deliberations to PM Modi.”6 The charges are absurd, bordering on the pathetic.
The political upheaval within the INC is visceral. After a miraculous, though still modest, resurgence in the 2024 general elections, one might have hoped for a period of introspection and strategic recalibration. Instead, we see the same old infighting, the same inability to unite, the same aversion to a strong, independent voice within their ranks. The leadership, often perceived as indecisive and overly reliant on a dynastic narrative, seems more intent on maintaining internal control than on building a formidable opposition.
The common man, struggling with inflation, unemployment, and the daily grind, looks at the Congress and sees a party more concerned with its internal power struggles than with addressing their plight. Shashi Tharoor, for all his erudition and eloquence, stands as a symbol of this systemic malaise. He embodies the potential the party could harness, yet he is systematically stifled.
If the Congress truly wishes to revive itself, to reclaim its lost narrative and connect with the aspirations of a modern India, it needs to shed its historical baggage and embrace voices that speak truth, even if that truth is uncomfortable. It needs to understand that patriotism and national security are not the sole preserve of one party, and that when the nation’s interests are at stake, petty political rivalries must be set aside.
Until then, the Congress problem, personified by the alienation of brilliant minds like Tharoor, will continue to fester. And the common man, watching from the sidelines, will only shake his head, lamenting the wasted potential of a party that once led the nation to freedom, but now struggles to lead itself. The question remains: Who lives if India dies? And for the Congress, perhaps the more pressing question is: Who lives if the party continues to die a slow, self-inflicted death?