NEW DELHI: The Congress on Thursday launched fresh salvos against its Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor following his cryptic social media post likely directed towards the party top brass.
A day after Tharoor posted an image of a bird with the caption — "Don't ask permission to fly. The wings are yours. And the sky belongs to no one...", Congress MP Manickam Tagore also posted an image advising Tharoor to watch for "skies - hawks, vultures, and 'eagles'."
"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," Tagore said.
"Freedom isn’t free, especially when the predators wear patriotism as feathers," he added.
The apparent jab comes a day after Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge , without naming Tharoor, said that "for some, Modi is first." Kharge was responding to a question on Tharoor’s recent article in The Hindu.
"I can’t read English, but his language is very good — that’s why we made him a member of the party’s working committee. But what I want to say is that all of us, the entire opposition, have come together and said we stand with our Army — our Army that is fighting — we are with them," Kharge said.
"We say nation first, but some consider Modi first, country later. What can we do about that?" he asked.
Earlier, Shashi Tharoor clarified that his article praising Prime Minister Narendra Modi ’s diplomatic role during Operation Sindoor should not be misinterpreted as a sign that he intends to join the BJP.
“It is not an indication of my leaping to the Prime Minister’s party (the BJP), as some people have unfortunately suggested,” Tharoor said at an event when questioned about the article.
He said that his views stemmed from a sense of national unity and interest. “It’s a statement about standing up for India — which, to me, is the core reason I returned to India after 25 years with the United Nations. I came back to serve the country, and I am proud to do so,” he told PTI.
In the article, Tharoor described Modi’s “energy, dynamism, and willingness to engage” as valuable assets for India’s global standing, asserting that such qualities “deserve greater backing.” The Prime Minister’s Office later shared the piece on X, sparking speculation about Tharoor’s rapport with the Congress leadership.
The timing raised eyebrows, especially since Congress has consistently criticised the Modi government’s foreign policy, accusing it of isolating India on the world stage. Tharoor responded to the speculation by saying, “People tend to interpret everything through the lens of current headlines.”
He added, “The article highlights the success of a diplomatic outreach mission that demonstrated cross-party unity on an issue of vital national interest.”
Tharoor also pointed out that Modi’s global outreach has been extensive: “The Prime Minister has visited more countries than any of his predecessors to carry India’s message to the world.”
Following the Pahalgam terror attack and the military response, Tharoor led a multi-party delegation to the United States and four other countries to present India’s perspective to the international community.
A day after Tharoor posted an image of a bird with the caption — "Don't ask permission to fly. The wings are yours. And the sky belongs to no one...", Congress MP Manickam Tagore also posted an image advising Tharoor to watch for "skies - hawks, vultures, and 'eagles'."
"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," Tagore said.
Don’t ask permission to fly. Birds don’t need clearance to rise…
— Manickam Tagore .B🇮🇳மாணிக்கம் தாகூர்.ப (@manickamtagore) June 26, 2025
But in today even a free bird must watch the skies—hawks, vultures, and ‘eagles’ are always hunting.
Freedom isn’t free, especially when the predators wear patriotism as feathers. 🦅🕊️ #DemocracyInDanger… pic.twitter.com/k4bNe8kwhR
"Freedom isn’t free, especially when the predators wear patriotism as feathers," he added.
— Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) June 25, 2025
The apparent jab comes a day after Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge , without naming Tharoor, said that "for some, Modi is first." Kharge was responding to a question on Tharoor’s recent article in The Hindu.
"I can’t read English, but his language is very good — that’s why we made him a member of the party’s working committee. But what I want to say is that all of us, the entire opposition, have come together and said we stand with our Army — our Army that is fighting — we are with them," Kharge said.
"We say nation first, but some consider Modi first, country later. What can we do about that?" he asked.
Earlier, Shashi Tharoor clarified that his article praising Prime Minister Narendra Modi ’s diplomatic role during Operation Sindoor should not be misinterpreted as a sign that he intends to join the BJP.
“It is not an indication of my leaping to the Prime Minister’s party (the BJP), as some people have unfortunately suggested,” Tharoor said at an event when questioned about the article.
He said that his views stemmed from a sense of national unity and interest. “It’s a statement about standing up for India — which, to me, is the core reason I returned to India after 25 years with the United Nations. I came back to serve the country, and I am proud to do so,” he told PTI.
In the article, Tharoor described Modi’s “energy, dynamism, and willingness to engage” as valuable assets for India’s global standing, asserting that such qualities “deserve greater backing.” The Prime Minister’s Office later shared the piece on X, sparking speculation about Tharoor’s rapport with the Congress leadership.
The timing raised eyebrows, especially since Congress has consistently criticised the Modi government’s foreign policy, accusing it of isolating India on the world stage. Tharoor responded to the speculation by saying, “People tend to interpret everything through the lens of current headlines.”
He added, “The article highlights the success of a diplomatic outreach mission that demonstrated cross-party unity on an issue of vital national interest.”
Tharoor also pointed out that Modi’s global outreach has been extensive: “The Prime Minister has visited more countries than any of his predecessors to carry India’s message to the world.”
Following the Pahalgam terror attack and the military response, Tharoor led a multi-party delegation to the United States and four other countries to present India’s perspective to the international community.
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