Result will spring surprise: Tharoor
With the ongoing general election and a tough fight between the BJP-led NDA and the INDIA bloc, Congress leader Dr Shashi Tharoor (pic), in conversation with Shriprakash
Menon, answered a few questions about his role in the Grand Old Party, whether INDIA is confident of coming to power, and the challenges he faced during the election. Edited excerpts:
Q: You are an experienced leader and well read but your role in Congress is minimal. Your take on it.
A: I am a member of the Congress Working Committee: one of the 23 full-time and of the million-plus members of the Congress. I was also a member of the All India Congress Manifesto Committee 2024, playing a pivotal role in outlining the party's vision for a democratic, pluralist and egalitarian India.
Q: Is the oldest party losing grip over the country’s political system? A: The Congress is doing well, particularly following the two Bharat Jodo Yatras of Rahul Gandhi, which attracted vast attention and adulation. I believe, the results on June 4 will spring a surprise and demonstrate we have tightened our grip rather than lost it.
Q: What’s your assessment of the INDIA bloc coming to power when they lack cohesion and a common vision for the nation?
A: An INDIA bloc-led government will be centred around the nucleus of the Congress, having a clear and well-articulated vision for the nation, premised on the 25 guarantees — and the Paanch Nyay — outlined in our 2024 election manifesto, the Nyay Patra. Our other allies may principally have a regional focus,
but on national issues, they broadly align with the Congress's vision. I can imagine no better formula for a coalition government.
Q: This time you had a formidable challenge in Thiruvananthapuram. Will people sustain your seat in a fastchanging scenario against Congress?
A: I do not think that the challenges of this election are in any way close to what I had to endure in 2014, during the heady days of the first Modi wave, together with a malicious personal campaign against me following the tragic passing away of my wife. By comparison, this election seems far more reminiscent of 2019, when — despite formidable rivals from the other two parties — I made a comfortable victory in the end. Q: Will your political future depend upon electoral success? A: Doesn’t everybody’s? Q: What is your next book about? A: I am giving a thought to a short, English biography of Shri Narayana Guru, the great social reformer who came to helm the Kerala Renaissance, and who deserves to be known outside the state. Q: Are you planning to act in films? A: No plans, whatsoever along these lines.