Congress MP Manickam Tagore Takes Veiled Dig at Shashi Tharoor Over Emergency Remarks

Congress leader Manickam Tagore on Thursday seemed to take a subtle yet strong swipe at his fellow party member Shashi Tharoor, wondering if the Thiruvananthapuram MP was repeating the BJP’s narrative about the Emergency. Without naming him directly, Tagore questioned whether Tharoor was echoing views commonly associated with the BJP.

Tagore's comments followed an opinion piece Tharoor published in Project Syndicate, where he urged readers to look at the Emergency period in India’s history with a more nuanced view. Tharoor acknowledged the mistakes made during the Emergency but stressed that it should be studied for its broader lessons.

“Is the Bird Becoming a Parrot?”

Reacting to Tharoor’s column, Tagore wrote a message on X (formerly Twitter):

“When a colleague starts repeating BJP lines word for word, you begin to wonder — is the bird becoming a parrot? Mimicry is cute in birds, not in politics.”

Though Tharoor wasn’t mentioned by name, the message seemed clearly aimed at him, especially given their recent public disagreements.

Tharoor Reflects on Dark Emergency Days

In his opinion piece, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor recalled the harsh realities of the Emergency, which was imposed by then-Prime Minister Indira Gandhi from June 1975 to March 1977. He criticised the forced sterilisations led by Sanjay Gandhi and the demolition of urban slums that left many homeless.

He also warned that the desire to centralise power and silence opposition can reappear in new forms. “These actions can be defended in the name of national stability, but they threaten democracy,” Tharoor cautioned.

Ongoing Tension in Congress

This isn’t the first time Tharoor has made headlines for views that seem out of sync with his party. Last month, he led a delegation to promote Operation Sindoor and praised Prime Minister Modi, sparking internal criticism.

Tharoor had earlier posted a metaphor about flying freely, suggesting his independence within the party. Tagore responded the next day with a poetic warning, saying that even free birds must be cautious of predators disguised in patriotic feathers. This exchange hints at growing ideological friction within the Congress party.