Shashi Tharoor is not happy. Reports suggest he feels sidelined in Congress, excluded from key positions, and ignored in major parliamentary debates. Allegedly famous as a “Playboy Politician,” the frustrated Shashi Tharoor has asked Rahul Gandhi to clarify his role in the Congress party.
Shashi Tharoor's Exit from Congress was confirmed the day he decided to contest Congress President Election.
— News Arena India (@NewsArenaIndia) February 23, 2025
This is not the first time the Gandhi scion has had issues with Tharoor. The friction started when Tharoor dared to contest against him for the Congress President post in 2022. Rahul Gandhi perceived this as a direct challenge, which he clearly didn’t appreciate. Now, as Congress struggles with loss after loss in elections, Rahul seems even more intolerant of dissent.
Tharoor usually tows the party line, however, he is known to have an independent blub of thought every now and then! Shashi Tharoor’s latest “mistake”? Praising PM Modi’s U.S. visit while the rest of Congress was busy slinging mud on the outcomes of the trip. This defiance seems to have irked Rahul again, bringing back the question—Is Congress punishing its leaders for refusing to follow the ‘hate Modi’ script?
Rahul Gandhi’s Modi Obsession vs. Shashi Tharoor’s Independence
सोनिया गाँधी के न चाहते हुए भी Shashi Tharoor कांग्रेस अध्यक्ष पद का चुनाव लड़े थे। उसके बाद से पार्टी में लगातार उन्हें साइडलाइन किया जा रहा है। 3 साल बाद Rahul Gandhi ने उन्हें मिलने का समय दिया लेकिन मीटिंग में कोई आश्वासन नहीं दिया।
सवाल उठ रहे हैं कि क्या थरूर का राजनीतिक… pic.twitter.com/yxXttLfbm9
— The Pamphlet (@Pamphlet_in) February 22, 2025
Rahul Gandhi has built his entire political career on two things – hating Modi and dividing India on caste lines. His Bharat Jodo Yatra should have been called Bharat Todo Yatra, given his relentless attempts to stoke caste divisions.
He has:
- Called the Indian Army casteist over the Agniveer scheme.
- Used caste as a rhetoric in every political rally.
- Accused IAS recruitment of being caste-biased without evidence.
- Defamed Mahakumbh and Hindu traditions.
- Sided with Palestine and Hamas, while trashing India’s stanceof Israel!
- Claimed the Constitution is under threat every time Congress loses an election.
- Defamed India while trying to malign PM Modi at every foreign visit.
- Begged for foreign intervention in Indian politics – something no leader before him ever did.
Unlike past leaders who differed in ideology but worked for the nation, for example, Shri Atal Bihar Vajpayee and PM Indira Gandhi. Unfortunately, Rahul Gandhi has reduced Indian politics to a mud-slinging match. He does not debate policies or governance. Instead, his attitude simply declares, “Modi is bad for India,” without offering a single alternative.
Shashi Tharoor heaped praise on External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and heaped praise on PM Modi for the appointment of the former diplomat. 🤔🥰😍 pic.twitter.com/KHCzWWItrl
— JIX5A (@JIX5A) March 24, 2023
Shashi Tharoor, on the other hand, attempts to maintain a veneer of independent thinking. While he remains loyal to Congress, he has often acknowledged the global impact of Modi’s diplomacy and economic policies. Despite participating in most anti-Modi campaigns, time and again, Tharoor publicly acknowledged the good done by the Modi administration.
This is where the real problem lies.
Rahul gandhi seemingly does not tolerate deviation from his “anti-Modi script”.
The ‘Tharoor Problem’: Why Congress Can’t Tolerate Independent Leaders!
Shashi Tharoor: If Congress does not need my services, I have options
4-time Thiruvananthapuram MP @ShashiTharoor, in a podcast with @IeMalayalam said him being re-elected shows that the people supported his right to express his views independently regarding the development of… pic.twitter.com/mdot7vbQaX
— The Indian Express (@IndianExpress) February 23, 2025
Congress under Rahul Gandhi is not a party – it is a monarchy. Anyone who challenges the Gandhi family’s supremacy is sidelined. And like Scindia or Deore, Tharoor’s case proves this again. As per Tharoor himself, he has been:
- Kept out of major parliamentary debates.
- Dropped from key party positions.
It's rare for Trump to anyone, but calling PM Modi ‘a tougher and much better negotiator than himself’ is definitely a big deal.
Shashi Tharoor's high praise for Modiji is sure to trigger Rahul Gandhi and 786 others. 😂 pic.twitter.com/MDXSB1EOCw
— BALA (@erbmjha) February 14, 2025
Moroever, he is forced to clarify his loyalty every time he praises Modi, Jaishankar, or Bharat. When he praised Modi’s recent US visit, Rahul Gandhi did not debate him or offer a counterpoint. Instead, he publicly summoned him for a “clarification meeting.” What was there to clarify? That Tharoor is not allowed to have an independent opinion? Congress seems unable to tolerate diverse voices and ideological debates. Today, it has been reduced to a private club of sycophants who exist only to attack Modi and praise “Rahul Baba”.
Rahul Gandhi’s Congress: A Sinking Ship
Shashi Tharoor has clearly told Rahul Gandhi:
"if the party wishes to leverage my leadership, I am willing, but if not, I have OTHER OPTIONS."~ Now he dodges questions by saying NO COMMENTS. Is Tharoor heading towards the Communists or NDA? 👀pic.twitter.com/dNlZGUrVKP
— The Analyzer (News Updates🗞️) (@Indian_Analyzer) February 23, 2025
Rahul’s leadership has been nothing short of disastrous. Congress under RaGa’s leadership has failed to win 100 seats in national elections! Moreover, ever since the Lok Sabha 2024 elections, the INC faced a humiliating defeat in every major state election. Its INDI Alliance members are angry and frustrated. They know that the Congress is a deadweight that they carry on their shoulders.
CM Mamata Banerjee and others critique RaGa’s leadership of the alliance!
And now, RaGa seems to be ready to crush the last remaining voice of dissent within his party.
Read complete post👇
All these happened in last 24 hours :
– Congress Spokesperson Gaurav Vallabh left party due to anti Hindu, anti corporate stand of Congress
– Congress leader Virendra Singh who is close to Rahul Gandhi left party
– Congress senior leader Sanjay Nirupam… pic.twitter.com/qZx5DETzFy
— STAR Boy TARUN (@Starboy2079) April 4, 2024
All those who stood with Rahul Gandhi have left his side. From Milind Deore to Jyotiraditya Scindia – each seems to be fed up with the sycophancy expected by the INC workers towards “Baba”! If Tharoor – an old member of the Congress – feels frustrated enough to consider leaving, it should terrify Congress loyalists.
#WATCH | Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala: On PM Narendra Modi's US visit, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor says, "…For 16 years I have been in politics. My attitude has been that when somebody in the government, whether it's our government or some other party's government, does the right… pic.twitter.com/dJWUMcpV18
— ANI (@ANI) February 15, 2025
Rahul Gandhi wants a Congress where no one questions him. But what he doesn’t realize is that a party without debates, without independent voices, and without intellectual leadership is a party headed for irrelevance.
Ya dil ki suno duniyaan vaalon
Ya mujhe kabhi kuch kehne do
Mai gam ko khushi kaise keh doon
Jo kehte hain unko kehne do https://t.co/vA5peTdjm4— Smita Prakash (@smitaprakash) February 24, 2025
Will Tharoor stay? Will Congress finally wake up?
Or will Rahul’s brand of dynastic dictatorship cost the party its last remaining loyalist?