Analysis: 5 Reasons Why Congress Has No Shield For Shashi Tharoor Missile

Call him the diplomat who knows how to flex his political muscle, or call him the politician who can take a diplomatic stand not in line with his own party, Congress’s four-time Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor has been an uncomfortable reality for the Congress.

In a party where the knives are out, especially for high-performing and young lateral entrants, Mr Tharoor has done everything that is not allowed in the party. He has taken on the party’s state unit by praising the LDF government, by challenging the high command’s pick Mallikarjun Kharge for the elections to the president’s post and now being a “paradoxical PM’ amplifying the success of Op Sindoor, the Prime Minister and the BJP.

But despite some Congress leaders openly targeting him on social media, Mr Tharoor remains indispensable to the party both in Kerala and nationally, and taking action against him is out of the question, especially as his home state Kerala heads into elections.

Here are five reasons why:

1. Shashi Tharoor is the most aspirational face of the Congress in Kerala. Whether the local leadership and the family loyalists like it or not, Mr Tharoor is a powerful face amongst the middle class in the state, one who has a strong following across communities and castes. He is also perceived to have a strong base amongst women and the middle class. This is a key metric the BJP has been targeting and any action against Mr Tharoor that could precipitate his exit would certainly face backlash from this base.
2. Mr Tharoor belongs to the Nair caste, again a caste vote that the BJP has been building on, and in the subtly poised political dynamics of Kerala, any further hit on that vote would be enormous for the Congress. Mr Tharoor has deftly balanced his Hindu appeal on issues like the Sabarimala temple entry controversy without alienating a strong presence in the minority community. He also has subtle equations with the left, and his repeated victories in Thiruvananthapuram stand testimony to his ability to manage an election.
3. Eventually, Mr Tharoor may be the most potent Chief Minister face for the Congress. It would then become a Pinarayi Vijayan versus Mr Tharoor contest and given the two-term anti-incumbency for the incumbent Chief Minister, Mr Tharoor may just have a decisive edge. Even more so as the BJP is trying to build Rajeev Chandrashekar as an aspirational face and work towards Kerala 2026. Mr Tharoor may well be the most charismatic face for the Congress nationally from Kerala and, one may argue, that though there are strong local leaders, he is the one who can create that buzz, the X factor, in a must-win election for the party.
4. The trouble for Mr Tharoor at the top of the Congress stems largely from the old guard from Kerala. The Gandhi family loyalist KC Venugopal has always been a rival, and Mr Tharoor’s rise has threatened the party old guard in Kerala. Alienating him would give the BJP a serious campaign point – that the Congress does not respect merit.
5. It is true that there are several grassroots leaders who find Mr Tharoor difficult to digest; he may not be the most popular in the power lobby. But leaving domestic politics aside, nationally, at this stage, Mr Tharoor has done nothing wrong. He has taken India’s message to the world and has the respect of his audience. In a way, the BJP is using the “Tharoor shield” because it’s a strong shield. Any action against him from the Congress will only turn into a Mr Tharoor missile for the Congress, for which the party has no shield.

Individual jibes and barbs at him can’t be controlled, but an effort to send out a message on party backing for him may be important for the Congress, especially as it heads into a crucial election in Kerala. It’s time for the Congress to not just bite, but swallow and embrace the Mr Tharoor bullet.