NEW DELHI: Shashi Tharoor has once again provoked the Congress and its leadership by praising yet another foreign policy initiative of Prime Minister Narendra Modi which the Thiruvananthapuram MP claimed “reinforced India’s image as a benevolent and reliable partner on the global stage.”
Nearly four years after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi opposed export of Covid vaccines in a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor has heaped praise on the NDA government’s vaccine diplomacy during the pandemic calling it a silver lining to the Covid cloud.
In an article in The Week, Tharoor writes: “India’s vaccine diplomacy during the Covid pandemic stands out from amid the horrors of that time as a powerful example of international leadership rooted in responsibility and solidarity. By delivering made-in-India vaccines to over 100 nations, India demonstrated its capacity to extend a helping hand when it mattered most.
“This initiative during the dark days of the Covid pandemic reinforced India’s standing as a force for good in the world, reflecting its humanitarian spirit and adding to the allure of its soft power. It carried the values of compassion, cooperation, and global partnership to the world, building goodwill, strengthening diplomatic ties, and elevating India’s global stature.”
Now, compare this to what Rahul Gandhi had said in April 2021 when India was exporting vaccines to other countries.
“There is no clear reason as to why the government permitted large-scale exports of vaccines. While our nation is facing vaccine starvation, more than 6 crore doses of vaccines have been exported. The state governments are repeatedly highlighting vaccine shortages only to receive intemperate statements by the Union Minister of Health & Family Welfare targeting Opposition-ruled states, undercutting cooperative federalism which you too have stressed as essential. Was the export of vaccines also an “oversight”, like many other decisions of this government, or an effort to garner publicity at the cost of our own citizens?” Rahul had written in 2021 in a letter to the Prime Minister.
Not just Rahul, even Sonia Gandhi had opposed export of Covid vaccines.
In a virtual meeting with chief ministers of Congress-ruled states Sonia had then said, “Covid is surging – as the principal opposition party, it’s our responsibility to raise issues and push the government to move away from PR tactics and act in the interest of the people.”
“We must focus on India’s vaccination drive first and foremost, then only export vaccines and gift them to other countries. The Modi government has mismanaged the situation – exported vaccine and allowed a shortage to be created in India,” she had added.
Little wonder, Tharoor’s praise for the government has given the BJP another opportunity to take swipes at the Congress. BJP leader Rajeev Chandrasekhar said Congress leaders have “recently got enlightened.”
“Shashi Tharoor and several other Congress leaders have recently had a change of mind. Recently, they acknowledged that India’s diplomacy in the Russia-Ukraine conflict was appropriate. If you ask anyone around the world, they will agree that India and Prime Minister Narendra Modi provided commendable assistance to small nations during the crisis,” the Kerala BJP chief said reacting to Tharoor’s article.
“Congress leaders were in denial, saying it was not the right approach. But today, even Congress leaders have started accepting it. I would like to thank them and say that better late than never,” he added.
Tharoor, in the recent past, has made several remarks that have embarrassed the Congress and its leadership.
The Congress MP had earlier praised PM Modi’s diplomacy in Russia-Ukraine war and said that India has a prime minister who can hug both the president of Ukraine and the president in Moscow – two weeks apart and be accepted in both places.
He followed this up by reiterating PM Modi’s stance on the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Speaking on the sidelines of the Raisina Dialogue, Tharoor had said, “PM Modi has taken a consistent position that the solution to this conflict has to come through diplomacy. In fact, you may remember his statement in Samarkand in front of President Putin, where he said this is not an era of war and that solutions have been found peacefully. We do seem to be at the beginning of a peace process of some sort.”
In February this year that Shashi Tharoor had also surprised his party with an out-of-turn praise for PM Modi’s US trip.
It is unlikely that Tharoor’s repeated praise for the Prime Minister and his policies could be a coincidence. However, we will have to wait and see what the Congress MP is actually up to and how the party reacts to his repeated provocations.
