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Both leaders have ruffled feathers within the party, yet remain too politically significant to be sidelined.
Congress MPs Manish Tewari and Shashi Tharoor | File Image
“That is who I am, irrespective of who may think what,” was Congress Chandigarh MP Manish Tewari’s sign-off after his camaraderie with Prime Minister Narendra Modi went viral.
At an event where the Prime Minister inaugurated a slew of development projects, Tewari was among those sharing the stage with him.
This should not ordinarily be unusual. Political courtesy has produced many instances of the Prime Minister sharing the stage or interacting with Opposition leaders during visits to states.
But for the Congress, such bonhomie appears unusual, and something to be frowned upon.
Tewari’s Message Comes Amid Punjab Congress Infighting
PM Modi’s visit to Punjab came amid continuing infighting within the state Congress.
It also came shortly after Tewari objected to the fact that while the central leadership was consulting several leaders on resolving the Punjab issue, a three-time MP from the state had not been invited.
Tewari’s public camaraderie with the Prime Minister, therefore, has acquired significance beyond what may otherwise have been seen as routine political courtesy.
Tharoor Too Faced Congress Frown
Ahead of the Kerala elections, Shashi Tharoor had also invited a frown from the Congress leadership over his bonhomie with the Prime Minister during an event marking the launch of several development projects.
Like Tewari, Tharoor had argued that development should not be mixed with partisan politics.
It is a line that may appeal to old-style politicians, but not necessarily to the Congress leadership, which appears to want its leaders to have little to do with the Prime Minister at public events.
In fact, Rahul Gandhi, Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha and Congress MP, has often been seen openly snubbing the Prime Minister. One such instance was his decision not to participate in the customary tea session with Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla at the end of a Parliament session.
Tewari, Tharoor Have Ruffled Congress Feathers
Both Tewari and Tharoor have ruffled the feathers of several Congress leaders in the past, including when they were sent abroad as part of the Operation Sindoor delegations to brief the world on the Pahalgam terror attack and publicly praised the government’s response.
The friction has not been one-sided. Tewari was also upset when the Lok Sabha discussed the issue and he was not listed as one of his party’s official speakers.
During the Kerala elections, it was Priyanka Gandhi Vadra who insisted that Tharoor be co-opted, given his popularity among voters.
Tewari, too, cannot be overlooked with the Punjab Assembly elections approaching.
The duo represents a face of Congress politics that fits the late actor Ajit’s famous dialogue: the two are like liquid oxygen. The Congress cannot live with them, but cannot do without them either.
The camaraderie between Congress MP Manish Tewari and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, along with JP Nadda, at a Chandigarh event has sparked political discussions ahead of the 2027 Punjab Assembly elections.
About the Author
Pallavi Ghosh has covered politics and Parliament for 15 years, and has reported extensively on Congress, UPA-I and UPA-II, and has now included the Finance Ministry and Niti Aayog in her reportage. S…Read More
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