NEW DELHI: Shashi Tharoor’s recent praise for Prime Minister Narendra Modi has ruffled some feathers in the Congress as fellow party leaders have questioned the move. Demanding an explanation for his praise, Tharoor’s colleague Sandeep Dikshit went on to ask “why are you in Congress” and even termed him a “hypocrite”.“Shashi Tharoor’s problem is that I don’t think he knows a lot about the country… If, according to you, someone is doing good for the country by going against the Congress’s policies, then you should follow those policies… Why are you in Congress? Is it only because you are an MP?” Dikshit said.

“If you really feel that the BJP or PM Modi’s strategies are working better than the party you are in, then you should give an explanation. If you are not giving one, you are a hypocrite,” he added.Congress leader Supriya Shrinate had echoed similar sentiments as she said that she “didn’t find anything in the speech (of PM Modi) worth appreciating” and she didn’t “know how he (Shashi Tharoor) found one”.“I didn’t find anything in the speech (of PM Modi) worth appreciating. I think PM must answer a lot of things. He was at an event of a newspaper. He should tell us what his problem is with fair journalism. He should have told us why is he not happy with those who show and speak truth… So, I didn’t see any reason to appreciate him,” she said.“I don’t know how he (Shashi Tharoor) found one…I found it to be a petty speech. He criticised Congress there too. PM thinks of Congress day and night. This is amazing,” she added.

Earlier this week, Tharoor shared his experience of attending a PM Modi lecture. In a post on X, he wrote a short critical analysis of what his opinion was regarding the prime minister’s speech.However, he did go on to praise the PM’s address saying that it “served as both an economic outlook and a cultural call to action, urging the nation to be restless for progress.”“The PM emphasized that India is no longer just an ’emerging market’ but an ’emerging model’ for the world, noting its economic resilience. PM Modi said he’d been accused of being in “election mode” all the time, but he was really in “emotional mode” to redress the problems of the people,” Tharoor said.“A significant part of the speech was dedicated to overturning Macaulay’s 200-year legacy of “slave mentality.” PM Modi appealed for a 10-year national mission to restore pride in India’s heritage, languages, and knowledge systems. I wish he had also acknowledged how Ramnath Goenka had used English to raise a voice for Indian nationalism!” he added.