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Congress MP Shashi Tharoor also addressed the evolving ideological direction of the Congress, suggesting that it has become notably more Leftist in recent years
Senior Congress MP Shashi Tharoor delivers the Jyoti Komireddy Memorial Lecture on ‘Radical Centrism: My Vision for India’ in memory of Jyoti Komireddy, a pioneering women’s rights activist and legislator who passed away in 2024, in Hyderabad on November 13, 2025. (Image: PTI)
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor has shared a broader observation regarding political practices saying each party’s insistence on loyalty undermines democracy.
Tharoor also addressed the evolving ideological direction of the Congress, suggesting that it has become notably more Leftist in recent years in response to the “divisive politics” of the BJP.
“Each party’s insistence on loyalty to its leaders rather than to a set of principles undermines democracy,” Tharoor said while delivering the Jyoti Komireddy Memorial Lecture on ‘Radical Centrism: My Vision for India’ in Hyderabad.
The lecture was in memory of Jyoti Komireddy, a pioneering women’s rights activist and legislator who passed away in 2024.
Tharoor noted that, in some ways, one of the consequences of tactical adjustments has been that his party has become “a much more, sort of, Left party than it used to be”. This current ideological stance stands in contrast to previous periods in the party’s history.
“But, tactical adjustments have been made more and more. In fact, in some ways, one of the consequences is my party has become a much more, sort of, Left party than it used to be. In the sense that, if you look at the party of say Dr Manmoban Singh, you could argue it was more consciously centrist in its approach. It borrowed from some of the policies of the predecessor BJP government,” he said.
Specifically, he pointed out that if one examines the party under Dr Manmohan Singh, “you could argue it was more consciously centrist in its approach”. He said the government led by Dr Manmohan Singh had borrowed from some of the policies of the predecessor BJP government.
The Congress MP recalled historical continuity, noting that the Congress had established some policies in the early 1990s under then Prime Minister Narasimha Rao, which the BJP subsequently followed when it came to power a few years later.
He argued that there was a distinctly centrist phase in Congress between 1991 and 2009, which arguably began changing after that period. When delivering his remarks, he clarified that his comments were focused on convictions and ideology, where certain gaps needed to be bridged, rather than on “nuts and bolts practical politics”. He added that what he was advocating went beyond immediate tactical adjustments at the political seat level.
(With PTI inputs)
The News Desk is a team of passionate editors and writers who break and analyse the most important events unfolding in India and abroad. From live updates to exclusive reports to in-depth explainers, the Desk d…Read More
The News Desk is a team of passionate editors and writers who break and analyse the most important events unfolding in India and abroad. From live updates to exclusive reports to in-depth explainers, the Desk d… Read More
November 14, 2025, 00:04 IST
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