NEW DELHI: Congress appeared divided once again after party MP Manickam Tagore on Thursday took a veiled dig at fellow party MP Shashi Tharoor over his recent comments on the Emergency, that was imposed under then-PM Indira Gandhi's tenure.
Reacting to Tharoor's article in Malayalam daily Deepika, Tagore posted on X: "When a Colleague starts repeating BJP lines word for word, you begin to wonder — is the Bird becoming a parrot?" He added, "Mimicry is cute in birds, not in politics.
The jibe came after Tharoor's column was published in Malayalam daily Deepika, excerpts of which were reported by news agency PTI. In the article, Tharoor described the 1975 Emergency as a "dark chapter" in India’s history and drew attention to the role of Sanjay Gandhi during that period.
"Sanjay Gandhi, the son of Indira Gandhi, led forced sterilisation campaigns which became a notorious example of this. In poor rural areas, violence and coercion were used to meet arbitrary targets. In cities like New Delhi, slums were mercilessly demolished and cleared. Thousands of people were rendered homeless. Their welfare was not taken into consideration," Tharoor wrote.
The Thiruvananthapuram MP also stressed the importance of remaining vigilant in a democracy. "Let it serve as a lasting reminder to people everywhere," he said, adding that "today's India is not the India of 1975."
This isn't the first time Congress and Thiruvananthapuram MP Tharoor have appeared to be at odds. Last month, Tharoor had posted a cryptic message on X, widely interpreted as a subtle challenge to the Congress leadership. "Don't ask permission to fly. The wings are yours. And the sky belongs to no one," he wrote.
In response, Congress leader Manickam Tagore posted his own pointed message without naming anyone: "Don’t ask permission to fly. Birds don't need clearance to rise… But in today even a free bird must watch the skies—hawks, vultures, and 'eagles' are always hunting. Freedom isn’t free, especially when the predators wear patriotism as feathers."
Tharoor’s uneasy equation with the Congress high command has been under scrutiny ever since he contested the party’s presidential election against Mallikarjun Kharge. The friction reportedly deepened after he was left out of the list of Congress leaders selected for the Union government’s Operation Sindoor outreach.
Reacting to Tharoor's article in Malayalam daily Deepika, Tagore posted on X: "When a Colleague starts repeating BJP lines word for word, you begin to wonder — is the Bird becoming a parrot?" He added, "Mimicry is cute in birds, not in politics.
When a Colleague starts repeating BJP lines word for word, you begin to wonder — is the Bird becoming a parrot? 🦜
— Manickam Tagore .B🇮🇳மாணிக்கம் தாகூர்.ப (@manickamtagore) July 10, 2025
Mimicry is cute in birds, not in politics.
The jibe came after Tharoor's column was published in Malayalam daily Deepika, excerpts of which were reported by news agency PTI. In the article, Tharoor described the 1975 Emergency as a "dark chapter" in India’s history and drew attention to the role of Sanjay Gandhi during that period.
"Sanjay Gandhi, the son of Indira Gandhi, led forced sterilisation campaigns which became a notorious example of this. In poor rural areas, violence and coercion were used to meet arbitrary targets. In cities like New Delhi, slums were mercilessly demolished and cleared. Thousands of people were rendered homeless. Their welfare was not taken into consideration," Tharoor wrote.
The Thiruvananthapuram MP also stressed the importance of remaining vigilant in a democracy. "Let it serve as a lasting reminder to people everywhere," he said, adding that "today's India is not the India of 1975."
This isn't the first time Congress and Thiruvananthapuram MP Tharoor have appeared to be at odds. Last month, Tharoor had posted a cryptic message on X, widely interpreted as a subtle challenge to the Congress leadership. "Don't ask permission to fly. The wings are yours. And the sky belongs to no one," he wrote.
— Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) June 25, 2025
In response, Congress leader Manickam Tagore posted his own pointed message without naming anyone: "Don’t ask permission to fly. Birds don't need clearance to rise… But in today even a free bird must watch the skies—hawks, vultures, and 'eagles' are always hunting. Freedom isn’t free, especially when the predators wear patriotism as feathers."
Don’t ask permission to fly. Birds don’t need clearance to rise…
— Manickam Tagore .B🇮🇳மாணிக்கம் தாகூர்.ப (@manickamtagore) June 26, 2025
But in today even a free bird must watch the skies—hawks, vultures, and ‘eagles’ are always hunting.
Freedom isn’t free, especially when the predators wear patriotism as feathers. 🦅🕊️ #DemocracyInDanger… pic.twitter.com/k4bNe8kwhR
Tharoor’s uneasy equation with the Congress high command has been under scrutiny ever since he contested the party’s presidential election against Mallikarjun Kharge. The friction reportedly deepened after he was left out of the list of Congress leaders selected for the Union government’s Operation Sindoor outreach.
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