Once a rebel, always a rebel? Congress's Tharoor dilemma - from Kharge challenger to PM Modi's 'global envoy'

In the Congress party’s grand old history, few members have both dazzled and defied the high command quite like Shashi Tharoor. Clearly not a quockerwodger, Tharoor has often seemed like a square peg in the round hole of Congress' hierarchy — respected, admired, but never quite aligned. These days, when the man speaks, Congress gets nervous, BJP listens, and Oxford updates its dictionary. From internal rebellions to off-script admiration for rivals, Tharoor’s political journey within the party has been as unpredictable as his vocabulary.However, this is not the first time that Tharoor is giving a hard time to Congress. The two have had a bumpy ride, especially after the party lost 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

Speaking to TOI, former Congress spokesperson and author Sanjay Jha, said "Congress needs to encourage a more freewheeling, inner party democracy."

G-23: The rebels from within

Tharoor was part group of 23 senior Congress leaders who wrote to the higher command in 2020 demanding internal reforms and a long-term stable leadership only to be dismissed by Gandhi loyalists.The Congress Working Committee (CWC) had unanimously rebuked the dissenters behind the letter and instead urged Rahul Gandhi to take over as party president.

Dismissing the G-23's demand for strong and permanent leadership, the CWC had asserted that it was Sonia and Rahul Gandhi who had consistently challenged the BJP government’s actions.The move was widely seen as a mutiny against the Gandhi family’s grip on the party. While the Congress dismissed the concerns as "constructive feedback," the message was loud and clear: Tharoor wasn’t afraid to ruffle feathers.

Tharoor vs Kharge: The battle of non-Gandhis

In 2022, Tharoor took the rebellion a step further — by contesting the Congress presidential election. It was the party's first non-Gandhi face-off in 24 years, and the symbolism was rich. Facing off against Mallikarjun Kharge, the Gandhi-endorsed candidate, Tharoor spoke of the need for internal democracy, a level playing field, and meaningful change.Instead, what he got was a polite pat on the back and a resounding loss. He later noted the contest lacked a fair footing, subtly pointing to Kharge's proximity to the Gandhis as the real deciding factor. If there was ever a politically correct way to shout “rigged,” Tharoor found it.

The Malabar tour

Not long after, Tharoor embarked on his own political safari across Kerala's Malabar region, drawing ire from the state Congress leadership.

Party leaders accused him of running a "parallel campaign," with opposition leader VD Satheesan bluntly saying that the Congress "won’t tolerate such activities." The trip seemed less like a listening tour and more like a soft launch of “Brand Tharoor” — suave, solo, and slightly rebellious.

The off-script moments

Seeking clarity on his role: Tharoor has, at several times, questioned his role in the party- a subtle way of asking 'What exactly am I doing here?' Earlier this year, the rumours of rift got fuel after he publicly criticised leadership vacuum in Kerala Congress and met Rahul Gandhi to seek clarity over his own role within the party.Responding to whether Congress sees Tharoor as an asset or a liability at this point, Jha said with absolute certainty that the party sees Thiruvananthapuram MP as a "strategic asset". "If the party were to have, for example, a shadow cabinet, then Shashi Tharoor would be the external affairs minister," he said. However, he added that "Shashi is probably feeling that his talent and the value he brings to the table is not getting the respect and the recognition that it deserves".

When asked if Tharoor-Congress rift would alienate the grand old party from urban, liberal voters, Jha dismissed this saying that "urban voter or the liberal voter, as we call it, goes much beyond one individual". He, however, noted Tharoor's "huge impact, especially on the English-speaking more corporate and younger demography of India".Calling Congress 'family-run party':Bharatiya Janata Party has often used the dynasty-driven feature of Congress to attack the party.

Making to the good books of the saffron party, the writer of 'Why I am a Hindu' had not-so-subtly commented on this. When he was asked who would be the PM if party won the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, he had said, "My guess is from the Congress party either Mr Kharge who will then be the first Dalit Prime Minister of India or Rahul Gandhi since in many ways it is a 'family-run' party."Being in opposition, praising government: Tharoor sparked controversy after he praised the ruling government's policies- both at Centre and state of Kerala. His repeated praise for the Modi-government's polices on Covid vaccine, Russia-Ukraine and now, Operation Sindoor, made the Congress distance itself from his views. He even went against the party's narrative to defend Modi-government over Donald Trump claiming credit for India-Pakistan truce.

His recent support for the Centre, especially Operation Sindoor, earned him the title of "super spokesperson of the BJP". He has, however, made it clear that he was only speaking in national interest, given that the BJP chose him to lead delegation to US to present India's side on Operation Sindoor. While the rumours on the road keep bringing Tharoor and BJP closer, Jha completely rejected this calling him one of the most "vocal critics" of the Modi government."He is definitely not going to ever join the BJP," he said, adding that doing so would "completely negate his entire work done over his lifetime. "If you read his writings, his speeches outside the Parliamnet, he is one of the most vocal critics of Mr Modi's government," he said.

Now, the question is: will he walk away, or continue needling the Congress from within? Well, Jha suggests a conversation between the two. One thing is limpid— Tharoor is a rebel who arrives armed with both a dictionary and a dagger. But this time, it’s not his florid prose, but his plainspoken candour that seems to have unsettled the party's upper echelons.