It shows a certain diplomatic convening power, which has value in and of itself on the global stage," Tharoor said. The Congress MP maintained that the Brics Summit is providing an important platform for the Global South."

This grouping, the 11 Brics countries, represents a majority of the world's population and 41 per cent of global GDP. It's not a small matter; it's something that has to be taken very seriously by the rest of the world.

Secondly, of course, having a dozen heads of state and government, not only members of BRICS but also some observers coming at the presidential and prime ministerial level, this is a matter of great prestige for us," the Congress MP from Thiruvananthapuram said. Latching onto Tharoor’s remarks, Nalin Kohli said: “One has noted Dr Shashi Tharoor's statement, and anyone who understands diplomacy would see great value in the BRICS summit.”

“Congress exposes Congress! Congress MP Shashi Tharoor says-" BRICS happening in India is a matter of huge prestige for Bharat."

Congress MP exposes " Naraz Fufa" of Congress who were opposing BRICS on instructions of Rahul Gandhi!” Tharoor has had frosty ties with the Congress over his “independent views” on a range of issues.

In the last two years, Tharoor has often made the Congress duck for cover as the BJP has cited his views to school the grand-old-party. The Thiruvananthapuram MP has made several remarks over a wide range of issues - from lessons in nationalism to global diplomacy to the Emergency to Covid-19 vaccine distribution abroad - that have brought more cheers to the BJP than his own party, the Congress.

Tharoor vs CongressIt all started with Tharoor's surprise "out-of-turn" praise for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s US trip after Donald Trump took oath as president for a second term. Tharoor then acknowledged key achievements from PM Modi’s visit, particularly on trade negotiations and defence cooperation.

He welcomed the trade deal discussions and expressed optimism over India’s diplomatic engagements. The Congress immediately issued a clarification, which said that individual opinions do not reflect the party’s official stance.

But Tharoor defended his remarks and said: “When someone in the government does the right thing, it should be recognised, irrespective of who's in power. 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 thing or does something well, one should acknowledge and praise it, and when they do something badly, one should criticise it. If I were to praise all the time, no one would take me seriously.

If I were to criticise all the time, no one would take me seriously either… There’s got to be some give and take in democracy.” After the Pahalgam terror attack and Centre's Operation Sindoor, Tharoor made several remarks that were at variance with the official stand taken by the Congress.

Tharoor was picked up to lead a multi-party parliamentary delegation to represent India globally following Operation Sindoor. Later, writing for The Hindu, Tharoor praised Modi’s "energy, dynamism, and willingness to engage" as a major asset for India on the global stage.

He described Modi’s multi-alignment strategy as a key pillar in projecting India's voice globally. At one stage, Tharoor said Modi’s foreign policy was remarkable as the Prime Minister was maintaining excellent relations with Russia while simultaneously pursuing strategic relations with the USA.

In May last year, during the inauguration of the Vizhinjam International Seaport in Thiruvananthapuram, Prime Minister Modi acknowledged the presence of Tharoor on stage and remarked that it would give "sleepless nights" to many in the opposition INDIA bloc. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi held a meeting with Tharoor in January this year ahead of assembly elections in Kerala and tried to sort out the differences and project a unified picture.

Tharoor has all along defended his remarks and has claimed that his stand on several international issues was "pro-India, and not pro-BJP," stressing that national interest transcends party lines. Clearly, for Shashi Tharoor, his remarks on Brics are par for the course.

It is the Congress that has to decide - how to handle the independent views of its MP from Thiruvananthapuram.

Skip to main contentWith a $100 discount, the Apple iPad Mini is temporarily back to its pre-RAMageddon price. With a $100 discount, the Apple iPad Mini is temp...